Tony Mowbray revealed Ryan Nyambe discussed his international future with him before pledging his allegiance to Namibia.

Nyambe is part of the Brave Warriors squad who start their Africa Cup of Nations campaign against Morocco on Sunday.

The 21-year-old didn’t take part in any of the qualifying games but after a discussion with his national team boss, as well as Mowbray, the Rovers defender will take part in future internationals, starting with the AFCON tournament.

Mowbray has no concerns over Nyambe’s involvement, and believes it will be good learning experience.

“He did talk to me,” Mowbray told the Lancashire Telegraph.

“He was very mature about it. We spoke about it a good month before the season finished.

“I’m delighted for Ryan to be honest. It will be a great experience for him.

“I remember the day the draw was made and they got a terribly tough draw.”

He added: “I’ll look forward to seeing him enjoy the experience and playing more football.”

Nyambe struggled with hamstring injuries at two separate stages of the season, while Mowbray also preferred Elliott Bennett at right back in stages of the season.

That saw the Academy graduate start 25 Championship matches, with Nyambe keen to win back his place in the Rovers team before committing to Namibia.

He made his international debut earlier this month in a shock 1-0 win over Ghana.

Nyambe is the most high-profile member in the squad but they face a tough ask in trying to reach the knockout stages.

They face Morocco (June 23), South Africa (June 28) and Ivory Coast (July 1).

That schedule will see Nyambe miss the opening stages of Rovers’ pre-season, with the players in for testing on Monday, June 24 before jetting out to Austria two days later.

The first friendly is at Barrow on Saturday, July 6, but Mowbray has no concerns over Nyambe’s international involvement.

He added: “It’s great for a young player like Ryan, I don’t worry about Ryan playing extra football during the summer, it won’t hurt him.

“He is a beast of a boy, super fit, and he should just enjoy the experience of going and playing for his country and gain more experience, soak it in, enjoy the football and come back to us a better player I’m sure.”