Blackburn boss Owen Coyle says he will not rush Charlie Mulgrew back from injury as he wants to ensure he is ready to help the club in their fight against the drop.

The Scot moved to Ewood Park on a free transfer from Celtic in the summer but has not appeared since limping off on his debut against Queens Park Rangers on September 10 due to a calf injury.

However, he is due to return to full training during the current international break and with the potential for him to play in a behind-closed-doors friendly, could feature against Ipswich on October 15.

Rovers are 2.40 to win the game, with the draw priced at 3.10 and the Tractor Boys 3.00. With Coyle’s men already looking set for a relegation fight, Mulgrew’s experience could prove crucial to their chances of survival.

The boss admits he is keen to see the 30-year-old back on the field but says he will not rush the versatile star, as he wants to make sure he is fit for as many games as possible during the remainder of the campaign.

“Charlie is on his way back,” Coyle is quoted as saying by the Lancashire Telegraph. “He’s trained with the medical staff but he’s not trained with the group yet.

However I’m hopeful he can start to step up and get some training and build himself up.

“And if he does that, like in the last international break, there’s going to be a closed-doors game which Charlie might be available for.

“That would certainly be our plan at the moment but we don’t want to get ahead of ourselves.

He added: “He’s got tremendous quality and he’ll be an important player in the squad when he’s fit and available.”