Stoke boss Michael O'Neill will not rush Connor Taylor's progression into the first team, hinting the central defender could be set for another loan switch.
Rovers are keen to take him back to the Mem following his hugely successful temporary stint last season, playing a key role in promotion with 42 League Two appearances and winning the club's Young Player of the Year.
Joey Barton is looking to partner Taylor alongside James Connolly for a second consecutive season after the latter joined permanently from Cardiff. The duo helped keep 17 clean sheets last term and the boss is looking to strengthen on their return to League One.
Taylor, 20, has been a part of Stoke's pre-season but Stoke's options at the back means Taylor may find first-team minutes difficult to come by. The Potters have already signed Aden Flint on a free transfer and Harry Clarke on loan.
They already have Harry Souttar, Phil Jagielka and Ben Wilmot competing for places while youngster Will Forrester is also on the verge of breaking into the first team.
While O'Neill admitted there is a pathway for Taylor to make the step up, he conceded patience will be a virtue in his development. Reported by The Sentinel, he said: "We've had lads out on loan and we don't yet know if they're ready for this level of football.
"The journey for Connor doesn't have to happen right now, it's brilliant if it does. We've just got to manage him. There didn't seem like a pathway for Nathan Collins or Harry Souttar when I came to the club.
"Hopefully the team will excite people. Sometimes when you sign a lot of players and spend quite a lot of money on them it doesn't go the way you want and supporters get a bit fed up looking at those players as well. Hopefully, this team is fresher, younger and hungrier.
"Since I arrived, Sam Clucas is still here and we signed Jordan Thompson in that January. The other players who were here are the younger ones: Campbell, Bursik, Souttar. Through five or six transfer windows they've now got the chance to become senior players in the team."
Rovers hold a key advantage if competition arises for Taylor's signature. O'Neill has been impressed with the way Barton has managed his loanees in the past, with Souttar spending two hugely successful loan stints with his former club Fleetwood in the past.
READ NEXT:
