BLACKBURN Rovers boss Brian Kidd should get his wish for a fully fit squad to start the new season as the club's walking wounded forego a summer break in search of a return to the fray.

Jeff Kenna, Billy McKinlay, Christian Dailly, Garry Flitcroft and Nathan Blake have all been enrolled on a special fitness programme which should earn them the all-clear to launch Blackburn's Nationwide League promotion assault.

Chris Sutton has also been booked into the summer camp at Brockhall as he battles to shake off the ankle injury which decimated his season and contributued massively to Rovers' relegation.

Sadly, Rovers are unlikely to benefit from a fit-again Sutton, who is destined to move on when his admirers get serious with a cash bid in the region of £10 million, although Rovers today dismissed suggestions that Spanish giants Real Madrid had joined the chase.

But Kidd is desperate to get the others back into his squad as he looks to engineer an instant return to the Premiership.

And to that end, physio Mark Taylor has been overseeing their return to health. "We designed a programme at the end of last season for all the injured players aiming to get them fit for pre-season," confirmed Taylor.

"They have all been in and out at certain times working on that.

"The manager has allowed them two weeks' holiday in that period and hopefully they have been continuing that rehabilitation on their holiday as well."

Kidd has already said that, with a couple of additions to his squad, and with everyone off the treatment table, Rovers will be well equipped to mount a promotion push from the First Division.

And the aim is to have everyone firing on all cylinders when the campaign kicks-off on August 7.

Rovers should find out next Wednesday who they will face on their return to the Nationwide League following the scheduled release of the fixtures.

Reports from Scotland that Hibs had made a £250,000 bid for number three keeper Alan Fettis were today denied by Ewood chief executive, John Williams.

"There has certainly not been any approach," said Williams, who also dismissed national newspaper reports that Rovers were interested in a swap deal with Aston Villa involving keeper Tim Flowers and defender Ricardo Scimeca.

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