DANNY Guthrie has been held up as an example to the Blackburn Rovers players who will be given a chance to impress in tonight’s EFL Cup third-round tie at Leeds United.

Rovers boss Coyle will ring the changes for the Elland Road clash with the likes of Stephen Hendrie, Darragh Lenihan, Jack Byrne and Liam Feeney set to earn recalls after spells on the sidelines.

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That’s where Guthrie found himself at the start of the season.

But, after coming on to help inspire the second-round win over Crewe Alexandra, he has started two of the last three league matches.

After sustaining a nasty gash in the 1-0 loss to Fulham at Ewood Park the former Liverpool and Newcastle United midfielder played the full 90 minutes of the vital 4-2 home victory over Rotherham United at the weekend.

Guthrie is likely to be one of the players who drops to the substitutes’ bench this evening.

But he is expected to start Saturday’s trip to Derby County after impressing his manager.

Coyle, whose side went down 2-1 at Leeds in the Championship one week ago, said: “I said to Danny when I came in, ‘it’s a clean slate, now it’s up to you’.

“He worked hard in pre-season and he came on in the Crewe game and did well. He then started against Fulham and was playing well again before he got really bad concussion.

“Then we went to QPR where I decided to change the midfield formation. Danny missed out but, as I do with all the players who do not make the team, I sat down with him and told him the reason why and that his chance would come again.

“He was actually coming on during the week at Leeds before Tommie Hoban went down injured. We had to sit Danny back down again and put Darragh on.

“I spoke to him in the run up to the Rotherham game and said, ‘you’re going to start Saturday, so make sure you’re ready’, which he was.

“He has showed that professionalism, that drive to be in the team, and I thought him and Corry did very well.”

With his game time limited Guthrie had been told in the lead up to the closure of the transfer window that the club would not stand in his way if an offer came in for him.

“Danny is a senior player, who’s been at good clubs and had a good career,” said Coyle, who will hand a first start to on-loan West Ham United attacker Martin Samuelsen tonight.

“When you’re out of the team, one or two things happen. You either mump and moan and nobody will take you anyway, or you work your socks off on a daily basis so that if somebody comes to me and says, ‘what about that player’, I can say, ‘he may not be in the team but his professionalism and quality is there for everyone to see’.

“Or you do that well that you force your way back into the team – and that’s what Danny Guthrie has done.

“Like the rest of them, now he’s got to do it on a consistent basis, because what we’ve got now, if you don’t, somebody is waiting to step into the wings.

“That’s why tomorrow night is really important. It gives those players an opportunity to come in and say, ‘I’m ready, pick me’.”