Craig Conway looks set to leave Blackburn Rovers.
Blackburn Rovers manager Tony Mowbray has told reporters how winger Craig Conway rejected the offer of a new deal as he is looking to play more regular first-team football before he retires, Lancashire Telegraph report.
“I still offered him [Craig Conway] a new contract. He phoned me up man to man and said that he wanted to play football in the last two or three years of his career,” Mowbray explained.
“There was no bad tones, no negativity, he knew the situation. I was happy to keep Craig because of the lad he is and the positivity he brings to our training and our dressing room every day. But he wants to go and play. And that’s fine.”
Conway, 34, joined Blackburn from Brighton and Hove Albion in January 2014. Last summer, he signed a new 12-month contract with the option of a further year depending on league appearances.
The seven-capped Scotland international only made nine Championship starts this past season. Conway subsequently fell short of the number required to automatically trigger an extension, leaving a decision to make.
It seems Mowbray was happy to keep Conway at Ewood Park for another year. His experience and leadership skills could have been deemed a valuable quality for the younger players ahead of his impending retirement.
Conway, however, now looks set to seek further first-team opportunities elsewhere although he could struggle to find another Championship club despite his reported intentions to stay at that level.
Blackburn will likely look to fill the void this summer with another addition out wide. Conway’s exit, however, could provide more opportunities for Ben Brereton who has become accustomed to playing in a wide role at Ewood Park.
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