Rovers will look to manage the workload of Ryan Nyambe as injuries continue to mount in defence.

Barry Douglas and Scott Wharton were both forced off in the win against Barnsley, though the latter will hope to train today should he show no signs of concussion after a clash of heads.

Douglas lasted just 14 minutes, and will undergo a scan, with Rovers already without two full back options in Joe Rankin-Costello and Elliott Bennett for at least the remainder of 2020.

Nyambe had a hand in both Rovers goals in the 2-1 win, but has had hamstring injuries himself in the last 18 months, and also pulled out of Namibia’s defeat to Mali earlier this month with a groin issue.

As Rovers head into December, where they will play nine times, Mowbray will need to utilise the training time, and squad, wisely.

The boss said of managing Nyambe: “It’s really tough. How much training are you doing? How much work are you doing to try and take the work out of his legs? How many training sessions do you have before you play him again?

“You have to prepare because they will be a different team. We have to decide whether we’re going to push our full backs on, or sit them deep and play in behind them, so we need to do the coaching and the work on the grass.

“But that’s more numbers in their legs and football is all about numbers these days. We’re doing 40,000 metres a week, if you include the games and the training sessions, to get the intensity up.

“Yet in among all these games it’s becoming tough to keep going and decisions might be made somewhere along the line to play a bit differently, do we sit deep, do we take the intensity out of the game, try and play on the counter-attack with (Adam) Armstrong, (Sam) Gallagher and (Tyrhys) Dolan so there’s less running?

“It’s trying to find a way of keeping going and picking up points as you do it.”

Daniel Ayala is nearing his comeback, with Derrick Williams also set to return this week, but it seems no sooner have Rovers got players back from injury others are added to the list.

Nyambe is the only recognised right back in the squad, but has had competition from Rankin-Costello this season, and Bennett previously, but Mowbray feels an improvement with his final ball, and heading, make him a key member of the squad.

“Rankin-Costello has been a big blow for us but Nyambe put pay to that with his ability to get behind the opposition, cutting it back and us scoring,” he added.

“Joe has been playing because in the two 4-0s and the 5-0, the right back has been Rankin-Costello because he’s more naturally like a wide attacker. Nyambe has huge physical qualities defensively with his pace and power and if he brings the attacking bit to his game he’ll be some footballer as he progresses.”

Liverpool boss Jurgen Klopp was in the news again at the weekend for his attack on broadcasters BT Sport for the scheduling of his side's 1-1 draw at Brighton.

The condensed nature of the season has seen the number of midweek matches double, and although Mowbray handed his players the day off yesterday, he says it has been seven-day weeks for much of the season because of the schedule.

Mowbray said in response to Klopp’s comments: “He’s talking about the welfare of the players and at what point do we get to the welfare of the players?

“If we lose a game because I make four changes because I know (Ben) Brereton is tripping over his tongue now and Armstrong cannot keep going every game and (Darragh) Lenihan is feeling his quads or whatever, and you get beat, it’s tough.

“I think the welfare of the players is important, they aren’t machines.”