Rovers’ attacking options have received a boost with the news Tyrhys Dolan is ahead of schedule in his return to action.

The teenage winger is yet to feature in any of the pre-season friendlies which put his availability for the opening game against Swansea City in doubt.

However, Dolan resumed training yesterday, while Ben Brereton was welcomed back into the fold after his international exertions with Chile. He has completed his quarantine period and undergone his testing and will be available to train with his team-mates again from today.

Sam Gallagher has also taken a step forward in overcoming an injury which has restricted his training since returning to pre-season, and all three could be in line to feature in next week’s friendly with Leeds United.

That will give the likes of Dan Butterworth and Harry Chapman further opportunity to impress at League Two Bradford City on Saturday, with Rovers short of attacking options with the trio having been unavailable so far.

Dolan was the star of Rovers’ pre-season programme in 2020 and was the only player last season to feature in every matchday squad, making 37 appearances and scoring three goals.

He was rewarded with a new long-term contract and is keen to kick on in his second season at the club, with the departure of loanee Harvey Elliott opening up a spot on the right-hand side of the attack.

And Dolan said: “I went into a different world last season, seeing how different players prepare and coming up against teams with different strengths and weaknesses.

“I want to stay around it this season and beyond.

“I want more starts and to solidify my place in the starting XI.

“I know where I need to improve from last season. I speak regularly with the coaching staff regarding how many shots I have each game, how many runs I’m making and little tweaks I can make to take my game to the next level.

“I need to squeeze everything I can out of every day to put myself in with a chance of earning a starting place this coming season.”

Dolan was Rovers’ most used substitute last season, making 27 appearances off the bench.

That comes as the EFL have announced it will re-introduce the three substitutes rule from next season.

In June 2020, ahead of the Project Restart fixtures, the EFL agreed to increase the number of substitutes permitted to five, coinciding with a rise in matchday squads from 18 to 20.

That remained in place for the 2020/21 season, with a condensed fixture list behind the plan, which was also used in the Premier League, European competitions and Euro 2020.

However, the EFL have announced that with a regular schedule in place for next season, it will return to three substitutes and matchday squads of 18.

No side in the Championship took advantage of the increased substitutes rule more than Rovers, even making a quintuple switch at Cardiff City in April. They made 187 in all, more than any other side in the division, an average of four per match.