Blackburn boss Owen Coyle believes Darragh Lenihan has a bright future at the club as a defender.

The Republic of Ireland Under-21 international was forced to fill in as a central defender following injuries to Elliott Ward, Wes Brown and Gordon Greer, and he helped the club keep their first clean sheet of the season in last month’s 0-0 draw with Ipswich.

The 22-year-old has subsequently kept his place in the starting line-up as a defender and Coyle admits that he always envisaged the youngster playing at the heart of the Rovers defence.

“Darragh initially was a centre-back in my mind, when I looked at his qualities and his attributes,” Coyle said.

“He had a centre midfield spell as well. But I always envisaged he’d play there because he sees the game in front of him, he’s aggressive, he’s a good passer of the ball and he’s tenacious in the air.”

Coyle believes Lenihan can act as a great example to other members of his squad who are currently out of the first-team picture, as he insists he will always give players an opportunity to play if they impress in training.

The former Bolton boss added: “He’s played very well, and that’s all credit to him, and it’s a message to all the players.

It’s never just about 11 players on the field because that can change at any time. “That’s why you’ve got to train hard when you’re on the bench, on the periphery of the team, because when that moment comes you’ve got to be able to go in there and shine.”