BLACKBURN Rovers manager Gary Bowyer has launched a passionate defence of his ‘warrior’ captain Grant Hanley.

Hanley has come under-fire for his performances during Rovers’ run of four defeats in their last six Championship matches.

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But the 23-year-old Scotland international centre-back has the firm backing of his boss.

Bowyer said: “When a team goes through little spells of poor results it obviously effects people.

“But I will tell you now, Grant Hanley is the first one to put his name forward to play in every game.

“He won’t duck anything and he is 100 per cent committed to this football club.

“It wasn’t too long along ago we were talking about his form and that he was hitting the heights again.

“I fully believe he will go on to captain his country and I fully believe he will go on to play in the Premier League at some point of his career.

“He’s a warrior and he’s hurting just as much as myself, the rest of the players and the supporters.”

Rovers boss Bowyer is set to have the rare luxury of a fully fit squad to choose from for tomorrow’s short trip to the DW Stadium to take on struggling neighbours Wigan Athletic.

But he is unlikely to make drastic changes to the team that started Sunday’s disappointing 1-0 home loss to Wolves.

The Ewood chief said: “If I showed you the statistics of last Sunday’s game we beat Wolves in every department bar one, which is obviously the goal.

“Now that’s the most important thing, I understand that, but in terms of shots, crosses, final third entries and penalty area entries, we more than matched them.

“But, like I say, we didn’t win the game.

“To make wholesale changes or anything like that you have to be calm and level-headed with it.

“We know what we’re doing, we’ve got to be sensible in our approach and get 11 players who are prepared to go and fight for the badge, the shirt and the supporters, and try and beat Wigan.”

Fit-again midfielder Jason Lowe, who has missed 18 league matches this season with a stress fracture in his foot, could go straight into Rovers’ starting line-up after coming through training this week.

“I think what his absence has done is shown to the supporters what a miss he has been for us,” said Bowyer.

“His energy, desire and his will to win for the club that he has been at for a long time is unbelievable.

“Lowey, in the position that he plays, is very good in sensing and seeing danger so it is probably no coincidence that his loss has been with the fact we’ve conceded some soft goals.”