SAM Allardyce is confident the goals will soon start to flow for Croatian ace Nikola Kalinic as he bids to ensure Blackburn Rovers’ £6million summer signing has a bright long-term Ewood Park future.

Kalinic spurned a golden opportunity to secure a memorable win against Liverpool on Saturday in a rare Premier League outing, but manager Allardyce has seen signs the 21-year-old is adapting to English football.

The former Hadjuk Split man has yet to start a Premier League game, but has scored twice in four Carling Cup appearances, with Allardyce insisting rushing their big-money summer buy would only be detrimental.

Kalinic opened the scoring in last Wednesday’s thrilling Carling Cup win over Chelsea, and is claiming a faint touch for Rovers’ second, with some of the Ewood Park faithful now calling for him to get more starts.

Allardyce said: “You are sick to death of people asking ‘when is Niko going to play, when is Niko going to play?

"That always happens at my level when you get anybody, on a free transfer or whether they were bought for £6million.

“We play them when they are ready and we expect the rest of the lads, who are experienced in the Premier League, to make sure we don’t have to throw them in before they are quite ready.

“When they are ready and they go in, then they start getting the confidence they need to play in this league, because it is the hardest league in the world.

“I am not going to throw anyone in too early because they might never come back.

"I use the example of one of the best strikers in the world – Shevchenko.

"His confidence was destroyed because he got used before he was ready for the Premier League.

“The last thing we want when we spend £6million is for it not too work.

"It is not about working today or tomorrow, it is about working for the next four years of his contract.”

Kalinic though was given the nod from the substitutes bench ahead of Jason Roberts in Saturday’s goalless draw, and his arrival in place of Benni McCarthy almost swung the game in Rovers’ favour.

After ending an individual effort with a shot over the bar soon after his introduction, Kalinic should have been celebrating the winner when he was sent clear on goal by Junior Hoilett in the dying seconds, only to prod the ball wide.

Allardyce said: “He had only been on a short while but when the game has opened up, he has got the ball off Chimbonda, wriggled his way to a chance and obviously he lent back and put it over the bar.

“Sooner or later he will start putting them in the net.

"He has shown he can create a chance for himself when you feed him in the box.

“In the last minute, it is toe-poking it and it is a matter of inches either way.

"Either it goes in and he is the hero or it doesn’t.

“You have to praise the goalkeeper because it is more like a rugby tackle than a real tackle but he has done enough to make him take his eye off the ball and he hasn’t had the opportunity to hit it as clean as he wanted.

“I can’t criticise him too much. He is coming on.”