John Eustace reckons Lewis Travis can play “a big part” for Rovers next season following his loan spell at Ipswich.

Travis wore the captain’s armband at Ewood Park before heading to Portman Road in January, playing nine times as the Tractor Boys won promotion to the Premier League.

Eustace says the midfielder’s return will bring something different to the squad and is keen to have healthy competition for places.

“I think he can play a big part,” the head coach told RoversTV. “He has great experience and is bringing that back to the group now.

“That can only help and I am really looking forward to working with Lewis. Hopefully, everything will be positive and we can win a lot more games with him in the team.

“It is important we get the right blend in the squad, and he is something we haven’t had as much since I have been at the club.

“He will come in and make us competitive. It is important we make each position competitive – not having two or three players knowing they will be playing week in, week out.

“It is important these players are fighting for their spot, making them hungry, and they know they have to perform to keep the shirt.”

Eustace is keen to bring in some fresh faces before the new campaign gets under way but admits clubs are having to be patient at the minute, partly due to the ongoing Euros in Germany.

When asked about the transfer process at Rovers, he explained: “We highlight players we want to bring in, then the board get together and look at the figures.

“They get the budget for this season and we have to work around that. That is what we are doing at the moment. Hopefully, we can bring in the right players to make this team better and more competitive.

“You can see not many teams at our level have made signings so we have to be patient.

“We have to make sure, whatever budget we are working on, we make sure the right players are brought in and we don’t panic and rush anything. Everyone is working hard to make sure we do that.”

A lot was made about the lack of experience in the Rovers squad during the first half of last season, with Ryan Hedges being the most senior player at 28.

The situation changed slightly during the January window when Kyle McFadzean and John Fleck both arrived at the club.

Eustace is keen to add more experience to the squad but insists there are lots of factors that must be considered before bringing in new recruits.

“They don’t have to be 32, 33, 34 to have that experience,” he said. “There are a lot of players now who are 21, 22 with a couple of hundred games under their belt.

“It is getting the right blend of players who are going to make us better and improve us in the right areas. That is what we are looking for.”