BLACKBURN Rovers title hero Chris Sutton believes towering targetman Rudy Gestede has the raw potential to follow in his footsteps and become a feared Premier League frontman.

Gestede has scored 15 goals in 23 starts for Rovers following his £200,000 permanent move from Cardiff City in January.

But it was a match in which the 25-year-old failed to find the net that proved to the watching Sutton that he boasts the tools to trouble even top-flight defences.

Gestede was unplayable in Rovers’ 3-1 defeat at Norwich City last month and it left one of the stars of the club’s 1994-95 Premiership-winning team ‘mightily impressed’.

“I really like the look of Gestede,” said Sutton, speaking to the Lancashire Telegraph to celebrate the 20th anniversary of Rovers’ famous title triumph.

“I think he’s a little bit raw but I can’t remember the last time I saw a centre forward that dominant in the air like him – I was mightily impressed.

“He’s superb in the air, there’s no doubt about that, and now I would love to see him pin people in and around the box because he’s got a nice touch and he holds the ball up well.

“He’s still relatively young and if you are Cardiff then you must be kicking yourself for letting him go.

“Can he go up from the Championship to the Premiership? There’s a difference but give him the right ball in the box and who’s going to stop him? Which centre half in the Premiership would like to fight him and go toe to toe with him?

“He dominated Michael Turner at Norwich and he’s a defender who loves a duel.

“He’s got to do it over the whole season, of course, and keep his feet firmly on the ground, but it’s good for Blackburn and it’s good for Gary Bowyer.”

Rovers boss Bowyer is hoping the injury which ruled Gestede out of the 3-1 defeat at Wolves 10 days ago does not lead him to miss Saturday’s visit of Wigan Athletic to Ewood Park.

Gestede’s strike partner Jordan Rhodes is certain to be in the squad, though, after the club rejected an offer in excess of £10m from Hull City before the window for permanent signings shut.

Sutton is a big admirer of Rhodes who has scored 55 goals in 101 appearances for Rovers following his club record £8m transfer from Huddersfield Town in August 2012.

But the former England international striker is surprised the club spurned Hull’s advances – and potentially the chance for Bowyer to bolster his small squad.

“You don’t want to lose a player of Jordan’s quality but if the bid was what I was led to believe it was, I was surprised that Blackburn didn’t take it on the basis that it was a lot of money,” said Sutton, who scored 59 goals in 161 appearances for Rovers between 1994 and 1999 following a £5m move from Norwich, at the time a British record fee.

“Jordan Rhodes is not the quickest and he’s not the strongest aerially but he guarantees you goals – he’s just a natural.

“But with the money Blackburn could have got for him, it would have been interesting to see who they would have reinvested it in.”