Bowery placed in limbo as Dickov is forced to target defensive help

The young Aston Villa striker’s loan spell ended after last weekend’s goalless draw at Nottingham Forest and while in an ideal world Dickov would have extended his loan, circumstances have dictated that he must change tack.

Instead, Dickov is focusing on bringing in a defender before Thursday’s emergency loan deadline, mindful that Gabriel Tamas – who has undergone surgery on a fractured cheekbone – is likely to be out until some time in April.

Dickov said: “Jordan has done ever so well. We spoke to him last Sunday, but he realises our priority at the minute is to try and get a defender in. But he’s someone who is still in our thoughts.”

On his search for defensive reinforcements, he added: “We’re trying, although it’s difficult as teams at this stage of the season want to keep their squads together.

“We’re having lots of conversations and trying our best.”

Dickov says that Tamas, expected to be sidelined for up to six weeks after his cheekbone was fractured in an incident at a Doncaster nightspot on March 8, could return earlier than expected. But a lot depends on how quickly the former Romanian international heals after his operation, having gone under the knife yesterday.

Tamas has a short-term deal which ends in the summer.

Dickov added: “We’ll see how he comes through the operation.

“There’s a possibility once his swelling has gone down after his operation that we might be able to get a mask fitted, so he might not be out as long as we possibly think. But a lot of that will be dictated by the healing process.

“It’s hard to put a timescale on it, you have to wait until the anaesthetic has gone out of his body and the swelling has gone down before you get the mask fitted. But, hopefully, it will be sooner rather than later.”

A bug which affected several Rovers players last week has cleared, and Dickov hopes to report a clean bill of health.