Former City winger unlikely to be fit for Blackburn’s battle with Canaries

Elliott Bennett is unlikely to feature against former club Norwich City on Saturday, his Blackburn manager Tony Mowbray has suggested.

The winger, who turns 30 tomorrow, has scored eight goals in 117 games for Rovers and has been a regular for Tony Mowbray's mid-table team this season.

The former Canaries man has missed the last four games though, firstly through suspension and then due to a fractured toe.

'I'm not sure whether he will be back next weekend, but it will be an opportunity for somebody,' Mowbray told the Lancashire Telegraph after Saturday's 2-2 home draw with Birmingham.

'I've said in the past we've got a fantastic bunch who work hard for each other and they're a hard working honest bunch of players and we will look forward to the challenges ahead.'

Bennett joined Blackburn in January 2016 having made 78 appearances for Norwich, scoring three goals, since he was signed from Brighton in 2011 – playing an integral role in two mid-table Premier League finishes.

However, a serious knee injury saw the popular wide man miss almost all of 2013-14, as City slipped to relegation, and loans at Brighton and Bristol City followed as he battled back to full fitness and earned a £250,000 move to Ewood Park.

The former Wolves trainee was then a key part of Rovers earning automatic promotion from League One last season, finishing just two points behind champions Wigan.

Former Norwich loanee Harrison Reed is also a regular for Blackburn. The 23-year-old midfielder, on loan from Southampton, has missed just one league game and scored twice in 16 games so far this season.

The former England Under-20 international made 43 appearances for the Canaries last season before returing to his parent club during pre-season.