BLACKBURN Rovers insist they have signed Myles Anderson solely on ability – with boss Steve Kean claiming he has the potential to be a late bloomer like Chris Smalling.

Rovers yesterday confirmed to the Lancashire Telegraph the 20-year-old defender, son of agent and Venky’s advisor Jerome Anderson, signed a formal pre-contract deal for the club in January, for a two-year stay at Ewood starting this summer.

He has since been at Scottish Premier League outfit Aberdeen on a six-month deal, moving there with fellow Rovers starlet Nick Blackman, but will return to East Lancashire this summer having so far just played three minutes for the Dons.

The move has seen Rovers’ new regime come under fire once more with the inevitable claims about Jerome Anderson having too much influence at Ewood surfacing again.

Sources close to the SEM agent insist Anderson senior has no day to day involvement at the club, with Rovers adamant the defender has been signed purely because of his talent.

Kean said: “We feel that Myles Anderson is a player with great potential as a late developer.

“He could become something of a Chris Smalling who came through late in football and Myles has done the same because of his schooling.

“We think he has a lot of potential but there was the opportunity for him to go Scotland in January and we and he felt that would be a good experience for him.

“There was interest in him from a couple of Spanish clubs but he is our player and will be at our club full time in July.”

Myles Anderson was first recommended to Rovers in the summer and was given a trial under previous boss Sam Allardyce, playing in a pre-season friendly at Southport.

A club source has told the Telegraph they continued to be interested in the free agent and, with other clubs showing an interest, opted to capture him on a pre-contract deal in January.

Despite his limited experience in professional football, Kean believes Anderson possesses the raw talent to develop into an established Premier League player.

He has pointed to the late development of Manchester United defender Smalling as evidence players can be late starters after he moved from non league Maidstone to the Premier League in three years.