‘Real high quality’: Manager raves about Leeds loanee; thinks he’s a great signing

Follow us on Google Discover

Tony Mowbray is thrilled by Blackburn Rovers’ capture of Barry Douglas, telling the club’s official website the Leeds United loanee will bring “real high quality” to Ewood Park.

On the final day of the transfer window, history repeated itself for this unfortunate Scotland international.

Two years after he was dumped by Wolverhampton Wanderers, Douglas was once again denied the chance to play Premier League football after newly promoted Leeds decided he wasn’t part of their first-team plans this season.

The left-back will now look to console himself with a third Championship title in three years at perennial dark horses Blackburn.

And Rovers boss Mowbray feels his addition is something of a coup.

“Barry has real high quality,” the former Celtic boss said of a set-piece specialist who produced 14 assists as Wolves stormed to the second-tier title in 2017/18.

“He might not have played 46 games in those seasons, but he played a fair chunk of those games and produced a number of high-quality performances that helped those teams get out of this league.

“What does he bring? He brings fantastic quality with that left foot. To describe him to our fans, he’s got a (Charlie) Mulgrew-esque left foot.

“He adds that quality in the final third, the assists, the ability to pick the right pass and to put ferocious balls into the box that are whipping and bending.”

Douglas has only started one league game since April, although Mowbray isn’t worried about a lack of match fitness.

As the Blackburn boss himself says, a couple of gruelling ‘murderball’ sessions under Marcelo Bielsa mean the Scot is likely to be chomping at the bit ahead of an expected Rovers debut this week.

Blackburn also signed wonderkid Harvey Elliott on loan from Liverpool on deadline day, while fellow new recruits Thomas Kaminski and Tyrhys Dolan have also made a big impression so far.