TONY Mowbray revealed Darragh Lenihan's workload will be managed after the Irishman returned to the Rovers first team at Portsmouth in midweek.

The 23-year-old came on as a second half substitute for the injured Ryan Nyambe and in the process made his first appearance since the opening day of the season.

He is in contention to feature again when Bury make the trip to Ewood Park on Monday night but Mowbray is keen not to rush the centre half back.

"You have to be careful, his body hasn't built up that robustness required to play every three days," the Rovers chief said of Lenihan.

"That is something you build up over the course of the season but he is fantastic character and personality. He wants to get involved, wants to play and wants to help the team.

"We have to gauge that as we go along and look at his training schedule and make sure that we don't overload him so that he doesn't break down again. "The number of times players who have been out for a long time, come back and break down pretty quickly is pretty common so we have to try and guard against that if possible."

Mowbray will also be able to call on Ryan Nyambe for the Lancashire derby with the youngster's injury at Fratton Park not as bad as first feared.

The 20-year-old was stretchered off in the win over Portsmouth but is fit to return on Monday night.

"It turned out that he had bitten the back of his tongue," said Mowbray of the right back. "He is fine, he is a big strong boy and he will be competing to get back into the team on Monday night."

Rovers will still be without Marcus Antonnson and Ben Gladwin while Peter Whittingham and Harry Chapman remain longer term absentees.

Mowbray added: "Antonsson is not too far away now, he has trained for a week or so he will be pushing hard over the next week or so to get around the team and Gladwin is on the training ground now as well which is good news for competition for places, he's not too far away.

"Peter Whittingham is still not on the grass back with the group, he might be another few weeks yet.

"We have to be patient with that as it was quite a bad muscle tear in the calf and Harry Chapman is the other one who is not back on the grass with the group yet, he is back on the grass doing bits of running but is still a good few weeks away yet."