Dan Butterworth is ready to impress should his chance come in pre-season after two injury-hit campaigns.

Butterworth managed only one substitute appearance in 2020/21 and a further six for the Under-23s in another frustrating campaign for the talented attacker.

Tony Mowbray is a known admirer of the 21-year-old, handing him his debut in September 2018, but since then it’s been a tough time for Butterworth who has been hampered by back issues.

He was unable to feature last pre-season, but back fit, and with Ben Brereton set to be away with Chile at the Copa America, Butterworth could be handed a chance.

And he’s been backed to take it by Under-23s boss Billy Barr who believes there has been an extra maturity to Butterworth’s play since first making his breakthrough.

“It’s nearly two years since he played a run of games and he’s a much different person now,” he said.

Butterworth has been sent off, and received several bookings, throughout his time playing for the Under-23s, mostly for reacting to poor tackles on him.

But Barr, who has worked with Butterworth for much of his time coming through the ranks at Rovers, believes that is an area of his game he has stamped out.

He added: “I think that’s one of the most pleasing things, because there is frustration when people don’t play him in at the right time, but he’s found a way of not reacting in the way that he did.

“We all know how good a player he is and we won’t see the best of him until next season, those were the foundations to next season and making sure he only plays when he’s right.”

Jack Vale will also hope to put his injury issues to one side to feature for the first-team in pre-season having been loaned out to Rochdale in January, only to feature just three times for the Spotland club.

The 20-year-old Wales youth international made his senior debut on the penultimate game of the 2019/20 season, but then missed the summer fixtures because of an injury.

With Sam Gallagher also sidelined, that offered an opportunity to Tyrhys Dolan who went on to feature in every matchday squad in the 2020/21 season.

Brereton is set to be away for the re-arranged Copa America which will see him miss the opening friendlies of the summer, while uncertainty over Harry Chapman’s future, and that of top scorer Adam Armstrong, could see some of the club’s promising young attackers handed chances to impress in the build up to the new campaign.

Rovers start their pre-season fixtures against AFC Fylde on July 10, with a game at Bolton Wanderers on July 31 currently the only other scheduled game.