Blackburn Rovers manager Tony Mowbray has revealed how he plans to utilise Super Eagles star Ryan Alebiosu following the arrival of new signing Gady Beyuku, Footynaija.com reports.
The Championship side completed the signing of the 20-year-old on deadline day, with Beyuku making his Blackburn debut appearance against Sheffield United. He also recently got minutes with Blackburn’s Under-21s, giving Mowbray another opportunity to assess his new recruit.
With Alebiosu already established as one of Rovers’ key performers at right-back, the arrival of another player capable of operating in the same position has raised questions over whether the two can feature together.
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While Mowbray believes there are circumstances in which both players could be deployed in the same team, the Blackburn gaffer insists Alebiosu should continue to be used where he can have the greatest impact.
“Well, they’re both right backs,” Mowbray explained, per Lancashire Telegraph.
“It wouldn’t be the first time. You can see Alebiosu is effective carrying the ball.
“I get asked all the time, can we push Alebiosu up one more, play him as a right winger? Yeah, we could do.
“But you take away that his best moments really are when he starts running from deep and the space is in front of him.”
Can Ryan Alebiosu play as a winger?
The Blackburn boss believes Alebiosu’s ability to attack from deep is one of his biggest strengths, rather than asking the Nigeria international to operate as a conventional winger.
“He is not a guy who really stands still, steps over, and goes past you with immediate speed. He needs to be in his stride really to get the best out of him,” Mowbray added.
That does not completely rule out a partnership with Beyuku, however, with Mowbray suggesting the two right-backs could start together depending on the opposition.
“So can you play in the same team? Yeah, in the right game, I think,” he said.
“If you’ve got a real threat against you down the left side, why wouldn’t you put two defensive-minded players on that side to shore it up?
“You can also have a real attacking threat within those two players.”
At the moment, Mowbray’s comments suggest the arrival of Beyuku may not necessarily threaten Alebiosu’s place in Blackburn’s setup, but the Nigeria international will be fully aware that he must continue delivering the goods to maintain the status quo.
