AFTER establishing himself as one of the Premier League’s top goalkeepers, Paul Ince’s assertion that he is glad Brad Friedel left Ewood Park may raise a few eyebrows.

On first glance the exit of a cult hero who racked up more than 350 appearances in a glorious eight-year Rovers spell could only be seen as a hammer blow to a rookie Premier League manager – as it was by the majority of the Ewood faithful.

But the subsequent arrival of Paul Robinson, nearly 10 years Friedel’s junior, more than cushioned the blow for Rovers new chief, who claims his summer goalkeeping transfer activity was ‘a great bit of business’.

Not that Ince is under estimating Friedel’s importance to the Rovers cause at the start of this century.

Far from it, he is just convinced the arrival of Robinson can only be good for the club’s long-term future.

Rovers come up against the big American for the first time since his summer exit in tonight’s Premier League trip to Villa Park, knowing he will prove a tough barrier to beat in their quest for maximum points.

Ince though warns the Midlanders they have their own ‘world-class’ custodian and has tipped Robinson to soon be back in the fold to be England’s number one.

He said: “Robbo has come in and has been excellent. He is in my opinion the best goalkeeper in the Premier League.

“When I first came to the club it was disappointing to lose Brad. He is a fantastic pro and a fantastic player, one of the best.

“But looking at his age, it was the last chance for Brad to go and get a few quid and get into Europe. As far as he was concerned, I could not stand in his way because he has done ever so well for Blackburn Rovers over the years.

“When I look back at it now I think it was great business, getting Robbo for £3.5 million.

“I was expecting Brad to be our number one but like it was with Roque and other players they got unsettled by stuff they read and you can’t stand in his way.

“If he had only been here a year he would not have left. But the fact he is 37 means you have to give the guy his opportunity. I am now glad I did that because we have Paul Robinson.”

A loss of form and confidence during his last few months at Spurs allowed Rovers to snatch Robinson away from White Hart Lane for just £3.5million this summer.

He has quickly silenced any doubters though in an impressive start to life in Lancashire, with his boss predicting even more to come.

He said: “I think he needs to be pushed. I don’t think he was ever pushed at Tottenham and I don’t think he was ever pushed at Leeds.

“But he has come in here, has got the mindset and wants to prove a point. He was disappointed at leaving Tottenham. When you look at some of the antics of Gomes you think why did they let him go?

“He has been world class since he has been here and the thing is he will get better.

“He would probably say himself it was a little bit too easy for him at Spurs and Leeds and he maybe took the eye off the prize.

“This was a new era for him, a new chapter. Away from the smoke and he wanted to start again. He has come here and has been awesome. Browny came in and did ever so well as well so obviously he is being pushed.”

While Robinson’s club fortunes have been transformed since his move up north, his push for a recall to the national side have not quite materialised.

Ince though is confident England boss Fabio Capello can’t ignore him for much longer - claiming Portsmouth’s David James is his only real worthy competition for the gloves.

He said: “Robbo is only 28, he is a young man. Brad is 38, David James is 40. We have another 10 years of Paul Robinson, hopefully more.

“The way he is playing there is no reason why he can’t be playing in that number one England jersey.

“It is hard because David James has been awesome. England keep winning games so it is hard to get in there.

“But on the radio the other day they were talking about Carson and Kirkland and people like that and they never mentioned Paul Robinson. As far as I am concerned he is number two at the moment, if not pushing David James for number one.”