DANNY Simpson admits he would relish making Ewood Park his permanent home – after insisting regular football is more important than an over-flowing trophy cabinet.

The Manchester United loanee will be forced to sit out tomorrow night’s Carling Cup quarter-final at Old Trafford but is backing his Rovers team mates to defy the odds and keep his interest in the competition.

While the right-back insists his immediate loyalties lie at Rovers, he admits his long-term future is still far from certain.

Simpson is due to return to Old Trafford at the end of this campaign and, with a year still left on his United contract, he knows he faces a few tough decisions.

He said: “My United future depends on Sir Alex Ferguson really.

"I still have a year left on my contract when I go back at the end of this season.

"Some players are happy to be reserve players and fringe players at Old Trafford for years but I don’t want to do that.

“I was speaking to Stevie Warnock and he told me how much he got from getting away from being that at Liverpool and that has made me determined to seek first-team football.

“If Sir Alex wants me to go back and play, then I will, of course I will, United are my team.

"But if not then I don’t want to be a reserve player and if Rovers want to make my switch a permanent signing then I would be very interested.

“I will go back in the summer and have a good chat with Sir Alex about the future and things will go from there I suppose.”

Since arriving at Ewood on a season-long loan this summer, Simpson’s energetic displays down the right have seen him become a first-team regular.

After being left on the fringes of things at Old Trafford, he admits he has got the taste for regular action He said: “I have loved my first few months at Blackburn.

"When I was at United I was never sure when I was going to play next and of course that is difficult.

"Since I have been here I have been able to look forward to Premiership football and that is a big thing for me.

“Being at United since I was 10, in training I am still seen as a kid there. Here I am more like one of the players. I feel more involved than I was back at United.

“If things don’t work for me at United I would definitely like to play at Blackburn. My aims are to keep playing in the Premiership and then one day get into the England squad.”

Simpson is relishing tomorrow night’s return ‘home’ despite being barred from playing by his United employers and insists Rovers have every chance of making January’s semi-final.

“Of course I was gutted when we were drawn with United in the Carling Cup because it means I will have to watch it from the stands,” he said.

“It will be good to go back to Old Trafford and see a few mates though.

“Hopefully Blackburn can put in a good performance and get through so I can play again in the semi finals.

“Roque Santa Cruz is up there with regards the best player I have ever played with. The lads at Manchester United are always asking me about him as well and how good he really is. He was linked with United wasn’t he? So the other lads were interested in what he had.

“Roque is world class. He is a great finisher, is powerful.

"Even during the Manchester United game he bullied Vidic and I have had a bit of a joke with Nemanja about that.”