With just over six weeks to go until the new Championship season gets under way, here are the interesting things we noticed as the Rovers squad returned for pre-season training.

Contract hint

Jake Batty was pictured training with the Rovers squad on the club’s official channels. The youngster was one of several players out of contract this summer and the retained list confirmed he had been offered fresh terms.

Batty spent last season on loan at Accrington Stanley, playing 29 times in all competitions as the Reds finished above the drop zone in League Two.

The full-back signed his first professional deal at Ewood Park in October 2022 and made his senior debut against Walsall in the League Cup the following season.

Meanwhile, fans might have noticed that Yuki Ohashi and Balazs Toth have both been absent from pre-season content so far. That is because the pair have been given extra time off after spending time on international duty with Japan and Hungary respectively.

Number crunching

Eagle eyed supporters spotted that Augustus Kargbo was sporting the number seven on his training gear.

He initially wore 47 following his switch from Cesena in January, with the seven shirt previously occupied by Arnor Sigurdsson.

Kargbo is gearing up for his first full season in English football, having spent his career in Italy before heading to Lancashire.

The 25-year-old made nine appearances for Rovers during the second half of last season, although his momentum was hampered by a hamstring issue which kept him out for a number of weeks.

“I have been training [in the summer] and trying to come back fit,” he told RoversTV. “Now we are here, I am looking forward to pre-season and then looking forward to the season as well.

“I didn’t know what to expect. This is my first pre-season and it is going to be my first full season hopefully. I have been training while I was on holiday and trying to come back ready for the pre-season.”

Todd Cantwell was also pictured wearing number 10, which was Tyrhys Dolan’s last season.

Meanwhile, Dion De Neve was spotted with number 14 which belonged to Andi Weimann last term.

Settling in

New signings Dion De Neve and Sidnei Tavares were both in the building after arriving from Belgium and Portugal respectively.

The pair became the first additions to Valerien Ismael’s squad along with Adam Forshaw, who re-joined the club on a one-year deal last week.

Tavares says he has been made to feel welcome by his new team-mates as he returns to English football following a spell at Leicester City.

“I have had a nice welcome,” he said. “I have got on with everyone, the group has been splendid really so I don’t have any complaints.

“We try to have a mixture of everything [in the summer]. We try to have fun and relax with our families, but we have to train as well to stay in good shape.

“So we try to have a mixture of everything really so we can enjoy it but work as well. I am used to it, it is tough but we have to do it.”

De Neve has also been made to feel welcome at Ewood Park. “Everybody is kind so I am glad,” he simply stated.

Fitness insight

The sports science department gave a fascinating glimpse into what goes on at the start of pre-season and the physical tests each player must take.

The tests include running, jumping and gym exercises to assess each player’s condition following the summer break and where they can improve before the new season.

“The next six weeks are massive, just from a fitness and strength point of view but also with the new boys, getting them involved with the boys and building that platform,” said Head of Performance Karl Hodges.

“The first two weeks will be high volume and building that aerobic capacity and then we start driving the intensity from then on.”

Yuri Ribeiro is starting his first pre-season at Rovers after heading to Lancashire from Braga in the January window.

“It is tough because it is the beginning of pre-season but we have to do this and we are excited to start,” he said.

“It is really important to start well. We had a good break, we enjoyed it and now it’s time to come back in the best shape possible and make sure we are ready for next season.”

Dom Hyam was also excited to be back in the building. The centre-back was ever-present in the Championship last term, starting all 46 fixtures without missing a single minute.

“It is just about building up robustness and getting all the testing done,” he explained. “Then hopefully the balls can come out sooner rather than later, I think gone are the days where you just run around pitches and try to get fitter that way.”

Harry Leonard was also doing one of the physical tests in the club’s footage and pictured among the group for the running drills.

The young forward had a tough season due to bad injury luck, although he did score a timely equaliser against Sunderland on Boxing Day.

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