Harrison Reed was an impressive performer during his loan spell at Ewood Park last season, but was does the future hold for the 24-year-old?

The 24-year-old still has two years remaining on his contract at St Mary’s and has stressed on a number of occasions that he wants to break in to the first-team set up at his parent club.

Unfortunately it was a season cut-short by injury, with Reed returning to parent club Southampton in April after sustaining an innocuous ankle injury in training.

But he became a fans favourite in his 36 appearances in a season-long deal.

It was a second successive campaign away from Southampton for Reed after being with Norwich City in 2017/18.

Rovers fans won’t want to lose hope of the possibility of Reed featuring again in a Rovers shirt, but noises from both the player, and manager Tony Mowbray, suggest Reed sees his future elsewhere.

Reed took time to weigh up his options last summer before deciding the move to East Lancashire was the right one for him.

First team football at Southampton is something he craves - though the last of his 30 appearances came in April 2017 - and it has been suggested that he could well be free to find a new club this summer. It will be down the player, as well as the interest in him, as to whether that is on a permanent, or loan, basis.

Reed will likely want assurances over both game-time, and position. While a versatile option, he is keen to cement his place as a central midfielder, something he was able to do at Rovers, where he was largely used out wide, or at Norwich, where most of his football was played as a wing-back.

Norwich, Championship winners and promoted back to the Premier League, are thought to be keen on a move for Reed. However, with one of their two available Premier League loan spots taken up by Patrick Roberts from Manchester City, that clouds that option somewhat.

Burnley are another reportedly tracking Reed, while Nottingham Forest, six points and six places above Rovers last season, are thought to be considering a loan move for Reed.

His departure has left a hole in Rovers’ midfield options, but questions over his reliability in the middle of the park saw his starts in that position restricted. And Mowbray is considering a more ball-playing players as he looks to play a more possession-based game next season.

So a Rovers return looks very unlikely, but so does seem a Southampton stay for Reed.