John Eustace opens door to Blackburn Rovers player return | OneFootball

John Eustace has responded to questions surrounding the immediate future of Dilan Markanday

John Eustace has opened the door for a potential January return to Blackburn Rovers for Chesterfield loanee Dilan Markanday.

Markanday joined the League Two side during the summer on a season-long loan deal, but could be recalled in January due to an option in the agreement.

The 23-year-old has made 13 appearances in the fourth division, contributing five goals and two assists for the team currently sitting in ninth place.

The forward struggled for regular game time with the Lancashire outfit last season, starting in just seven of his 21 league appearances.

However, a return to Blackburn could yet be on the cards in 2025 if he can continue his current strong form.

John Eustace makes Dilan Markanday recall claim

Eustace has opened the door for a potential return in the new year for Markanday, praising the level of his performances in League Two.

He believes the winger is currently rising the challenge that was placed on him when he was sent out on loan in the summer.

When asked about a return, Eustace responded, via the Lancashire Telegraph: “Possibly.

"January is when the FA Cup is around again so we will monitor that.

“He has done amazingly well and that is why we sent him there.

"Dilan is a fantastic young, exciting player.

“I don't think he's been developed properly over the last few years in terms of his game time.

"It was important he went out and got game time.

“We set him the challenge to go out and star at that level.

“He is doing that at the moment.

"It was very important that Dilan went out, he is doing terrifically well now and we hope he comes back to make a difference.

"We will assess that in January going forward and see if we think that he can come back and make a difference for us."

Blackburn Rovers’ promotion challenge

Blackburn made a strong start to the Championship campaign, and now find themselves in the mix for a play-off place.

Recent form has seen them drop out of the top six, falling to ninth in time for November international break.

However, the gap to sixth place Watford is just three points after only 15 games, meaning Markanday could return in January in a bid to help close the gap to the competition.

The next few weeks at Rovers, as well as Chesterfield, could be crucial in determining his immediate future ahead of the winter market.

Markanday loan working as intended so far

The Markanday situation will be an interesting one for the second division club as he could now be of use to Eustace’s side.

But if the Blackburn manager wants him to continue his development by playing regularly, then perhaps remaining out on loan would be the best for him at the moment.

It’s unclear whether he is really ready to make the jump back up to the Championship already, although there is the option to find a League One loan too.

Markanday has played well, and deserves the public praise from Eustace, but he may need to up his game just a bit more between now and January in order to earn a regular place back in the Rovers side.