TONY Mowbray is confident Jayson Leutwiler will prove he is providing suitable competition for the Rovers number one shirt with David Raya as he prepares to make his debut for the club.

Leutwiler is set to be handed his Rovers bow in either this afternoon’s FA Cup tie with Barnet or Tuesday’s Checkatrade Trophy trip to Rochdale.

His international commitments with Canada have prevented the 28-year-old summer signing from featuring in the previous rounds of the Trophy, while Raya has been preferred in the 15 league and two EFL Cup games to date.

But, having worked with Leutwiler previously during their time at Middlesbrough and having studied him in training, Mowbray is confident that the former Shrewsbury Town stopper can enjoy a seamless transition to first team football when he is handed his chance.

“He’s a good lad who works very hard in training and I think there’s an opportunity there for him,” Mowbray said ahead of the cup double header.

“He’s at this football club to compete and when there’s an opportunity we will give him that – it’s not far away from coming.

“He’s a big size, very typical modern day goalkeeper, that’s why we brought him in.

“He knew at the time that he was coming to compete with David who ended last season pretty well and was going to have his chance to stake the claim to be number one.

“I think David has done well this year with his clean sheets and general approach but let’s see if Jayson’s opportunity comes and he grabs it.

“It’s been a while since he played competitive league football in England.

“If his chance comes then let’s hope he does well and I’m pretty sure we will come out of the next week or so knowing that we have a good goalkeeper who is competing with David Raya.”

Leutwiler played 49 times for Shrewsbury in League One last season which included a clean sheet in a 3-0 home win over Barnet in the FA Cup first round. However, he is yet to feature for Rovers since moving to Ewood for an undisclosed fee in August.

His last action came for his country in September when he kept a clean sheet in the 2-0 win over Jamaica.