STEVE Kean hopes that Chris Samba will return to action in a reserve match on Monday – even though he admits he is yet to receive specific assurances that the defender has now put the events of the January transfer window to one side.

Samba will not figure in tomorrow’s crucial home game against QPR after Kean insisted that a hamstring injury was the reason why the 27-year-old withdrew from a scheduled appearance in a behind closed doors match for the reserves against Carlisle on Tuesday.

The centre back has not played for Rovers since the 2-1 home loss to Stoke on January 2 and was relegated to training with the reserves after declaring his intention to leave Ewood during the transfer window, amid interest from QPR and a number of clubs.

Samba was left frustrated when he did not get his move, though, with Rovers insisting they would not sell.

Kean now wants his key defender back in first-team action, saying that Samba was due to see a specialist last night to assess the injury.

The Rovers boss hopes the Congo international will be passed fit to play in the club’s reserve game against Wigan at Leigh Sports Village on Monday.

But Samba said last month that he was no longer ‘100 per cent for the club’ and Kean admits there has been no conversation between the pair where the player has specifically given his word that the events of January are now in the past.

“We’ve not spoken about anything to do with giving his word or any public statements,” the Scot said.

“All we wanted to do was first of all get him back on the training ground, which we’ve done. Then secondly get him back involved in some type of game, which we tried to but unfortunately we couldn’t.

“And we’re just trying to get him back. Everyone wants him to play.

“But unfortunately he’s picked up this little niggle. He trained very well on Monday. I can only take his enthusiasm and application in the sessions and that was excellent on Monday. That’s the last session he’s had, unfortunately.

“We had pencilled him in to play in a reserve game on Tuesday alongside Ruben Rochina and Marcus Olsson, but on Monday evening he was feeling his back tightening his hamstring, so because of that he’s not available for the QPR game.

“We were trying to get an hour under his belt, but we’re going to send him to an osteopath.

“There’s another reserve game on Monday and hopefully we’ll get him involved in that.”

Samba appeared to be in a happy mood at Brockhall yesterday as he exchanged banter with team-mates, and Kean will now be eager for the former Hertha Berlin player to use his undoubted defensive talent to help the club avoid relegation.

Asked if he was confident Samba’s head was now in the right place, the Rovers boss said: “You would need to speak with Chris about that.

“What we’re trying to do is get him back playing, we want all our players back and involved in these last 14 games.

“When you miss first-team football, when you don’t get that match practice, sometimes you can go three or four weeks and get away with it.

“As soon as you get close to that you need a game, so we feel as though the amount of football he’s missed he certainly needs a game.”

Kean has revealed that Vince Grella has undergone ‘a small operation on his calf’.

On the subject of Michel Salgado, reportedly in talks to join LA Galaxy, he said: “Michel was allowed to go the States last week and he had a productive meeting.

“We’ll see how that progresses.”