Jon Dahl Tomasson has confirmed that Aynsley Pears will start in goal for Blackburn Rovers against Leicester City.

Leopold Walhstedt was rotated in against Cardiff City for the Carabao Cup on Wednesday night. Pears has come under criticism in the last few games but will retain his place between the sticks.

Tomasson believes that both goalkeepers are pushing each other for the number one spot but is happy with the performances from Pears. He insisted the goals conceded have been down to individual errors rather than the team being open.

"It's good that Leo got his minutes against Cardiff at a higher level," Tomasson said. "He needed to try that and get used to the intensity and the identity, the way of playing.

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"I have two young goalkeepers at 25 and 24 years old, not experienced goalkeeper. They are pushing each other as they should but Pears will start in the goal against Leicester.

"I am always worried about conceding goals, we have conceded too many. But the last six goals, it has not been because we are too open, it's because of personal errors.

"We had more players than the opponent in those situations but they are situations we must do better as a team. We need to be proactive, we need to defend with our lives, sense danger but we defend and attack with 11 players and we win or lose with 11."

Tomasson's decision to retain Pears means he is yet to make a change in goal that hasn't been forced by injury. In 2023, Rovers have named a very consistent back five overall.

Whilst the Rovers head coach acknowledged the importance of continuity, he admitted he hopes the personnel in the team changes over the course of the season to show the development of the squad.

"If you play for a long time together, you know what the other person is doing but it's also an advantage to have the possibility to change players," he said. 

"We have to do that to keep players fresh. The team that played in September shouldn't be the team that was playing in December and January because there should be development in the squad.

"A good example is Adam Wharton who was out for a long time because he wasn't performing well enough and he needed to learn. Then he came back and did really, really good and he's starting every game.

"That's the development of a player and that is something we have to do at Rovers. We have to create value and it should not be the same team playing in September to who finishes the year."

Harry Leonard has become Rovers' latest attacker who's injured after suffering a calf injury in training. He joins Sam Gallagher, Ryan Hedges and Sam Barnes who have lengthy spells on the sidelines.

Tomasson believes that the workload of those players and his inability to rotate the squad has contributed to the injuries. 

"I think you need to look at all the steps when a player gets injured," he said. "Could we as a club have done better?

"You have to look at personal things. For example, Sam Gallagher is a very good player but we know he gets injured because his load is high.

"He also became a dad which we know can affect a player, we shouldn't forget that. Sam Barnes has a history of injuries in the youth and that's very disappointing.

"Ryan's output is always high, if you look at the squad maybe I haven't been able to rotate the squad that much because of the numbers, it is paper thin. We all know that Steve (Waggott) said first and foremost we have to stay in the league and develop players."