MATT Jansen has signed a new one-year deal which will keep him at Blackburn Rovers until June 2006.

But Rovers defender Lorenzo Amoruso could miss the start of next season after undergoing an operation to repair a damaged cartilage in Belgium yesterday.

It was a bitter-sweet day for Rovers boss, Mark Hughes, who has just returned from a mini end of season break to Portugal.

Jansen's decision to sign a new 12-month deal is a welcome tonic for the Ewood chief in his quest to boost Rovers' fire-power next term.

However, any hopes of off-loading Amoruso during the summer may now have to be shelved as the Italian faces another spell on the sidelines.

Although yesterday's operation was deemed a success, the 33-year-old faces a battle to be fit in time for the start of the new season.

Jansen, meanwhile, is believed to have taken a hefty pay cut to extend his stay at Rovers.

The former Crystal Palace star, who has struggled for consistency since suffering a serious head injury in a motor scooter accident three years ago, will have next season to prove to manager Mark Hughes that he still has the desire to play at the top level.

If he is successful, Rovers have an option to extend the 27-year-old's contract for a further 12 months.

Hughes has given Jansen a prolonged break from the game in the hope that it will help him return to his old level - he was on the verge of breaking into the England squad at the time of the accident.

"The situation with Matt was that earlier in the year he was struggling to cope with the pressures of the game," said Hughes.

"It was felt that he needed to get away from all the demands that come from playing and training day-in and day-out.

"We spoke to his people and they felt earlier that it would be preferable for him just to get away from football and have a complete break.

"We were quite prepared to take that advice and do whatever was best for Matt and now we are pleased that he'll be back with us for the first day of pre-season.

"Then it is a case of see how things go and see if we can get Matt Jansen back to the level he reached prior to his accident."