Jake Batty wants to continue impressing Jon Dahl Tomasson having put the uncertainty over his future to the back of his mind.
Batty had Premier League interest but committed his future by signing a three-year contract with the club last month.
The 17-year-old, who made his debut in the Carabao Cup first round win over Hartlepool United, was sought after, but like team-mate Ash Phillips, believed that Rovers was the best stage for his development.
The England youth international, who only signed for Rovers as an Under-15s when spotted playing Sunday League football, is focused on being part of Tomasson’s squad that heads to Marbella later this month.
“The contract was always in the back of my mind, thinking whether it was going to get sorted,” Batty explained.
“I’ve got it sorted and now I can step on and not think about it for the next three years.
“Me and Ash are quite close mates, we weighed everything up, looked at each other and both felt Blackburn was the best place for us.”
Batty says family, as well as Rovers’ commitment to young players, was key to his decision to sign his first professional contract.
The left back has had a quick rise to prominence that saw him make his debut aged just 17 in the Carabao Cup first round win over Hartlepool United.
He committed his future to the club by signing a three-year contract last month, the longest deal that could be agreed under Elite Player Performance Plan rules, amid interest from Premier League clubs.
The England youth international is training daily with the first-team, and was on the bench for the Carabao Cup third round tie at West Ham United.
But as well as the opportunities he has earned and Rovers’ belief in young players, the teenager says family influence was also key to his contract decision.
The Liverpudlian said: “Looking at the family side of it, would I have been happy going somewhere else?
“I’m a family person and the only way for me to enjoy football was to be around my mum and dad.
“They came to the game tonight with my nan and grandad and I think that’s the main reason I love it at Blackburn, my family are only 45 or 50 minutes down the road.
“You can go home, pop in and see them. Staying in the lodge (at Brockhall), you don’t get to see them much, but it’s something you grind for and I hope we’ll see the benefits of that at the end of the season.
“One of the biggest factors was getting the chance and not being forgotten about.”
Batty has praised the influence of first-team head coach Jon Dahl Tomasson and will look to impress him further when the senior squad travel to Marbella for a week-long training camp later this month.
The teenager will get the chance to rest up next week, but before that played 90 minutes in the Premier League International Cup against Porto and is expected to feature again in tomorrow’s Premier League Cup tie with Aston Villa.
Of his involvement with the senior team, Batty added: “It’s been unbelievable, to be honest.
“No other 17-year-old could wish for anything more than getting a chance in the first-team.
“Going to West Ham and beating a Premier League side who had some decent players out, what more could you ask for?
“It’s one of those that you’ll always remember.
“Next week I have off to relax the mind and then we get going again. I’ll hopefully be going to Marbella with the first-team and I want to keep it going.
“Looking at what we’ve done as a team under the gaffer, I couldn’t be happier training with the first-team.
“It’s what every lad dreams of.”
Batty missed six weeks of action with injury, restricting him to only five appearances this season for the Under-21s.
A four-game winless run in the league leaves Rovers 10th in the 14-team Premier League 2 table, with Batty targeting an upturn in league results when the league campaign resumes next month.
“I think it’s been good for me to be training with the first team, getting my eye in and seeing what the gaffer likes, “he said.
“We can always push for more in the Under-21s, we’re quite low in the table, as we were at this stage of last season.
“We don’t want to go into the second half of the season thinking about relegation.
“The main goal for us is to pick up as many points as we can and shoot up the table.”
TAKE OUT A SUBSCRIPTION...
Comments: Our rules
We want our comments to be a lively and valuable part of our community - a place where readers can debate and engage with the most important local issues. The ability to comment on our stories is a privilege, not a right, however, and that privilege may be withdrawn if it is abused or misused.
Please report any comments that break our rules.
Read the rules hereLast Updated:
Report this comment Cancel