TONY Mowbray insists Blackburn Rovers should be proud of their players getting international call-ups, even if it can disrupt club form.

Charlie Mulgrew is in the Scotland squad for a friendly against Canada on Wednesday and World Cup qualifier with Slovenia the following Saturday.

His teammate Corry Evans has been called up by Northern Ireland boss Michael O’Neill as his Group C leaders take on Norway at Windsor Park next weekend.

Both players have suffered with injuries this season, with Evans having not played for Rovers since January 2 due to an ongoing groin problem.

But Mowbray is happy for them to undertake international duty despite these fitness concerns.

He said: “I have no problems with players representing their country. I think it’s a great honour for them and it should be an honour for the football club.

“And yet you hope that they come back fully fit and it’s been a benefit rather than a negative.

“Mulgrew and Evans have both had knocks, and Evans has been out a long time but is on his way back and has been training every day for the last two weeks.

“I have experienced it in the past where you have too many players away on international duty and the next game is really tough because they don’t follow the same playing styles and principles as what you preach.

“They go away for something totally different for a week, sometimes a bit more if they’ve got two matches, and they come back out of sync with the rest of your group and it can cause a dysfunctional team at times.

“But we haven’t got too many so I’m sure we’ll be fine and hopefully they go and enjoy their experiences with their national teams.”