Republic of Ireland defender Damien Delaney would love to see fellow countryman Keith Andrews return to Town after a successful loan period that saw him net nine times in 20 games.

Currently sidelined with a torn hamstring, sustained at Leicester on Boxing Day and likely to be out of action for at least a month, Andrews’s future is up in the air as Town and a host of other potential employers wait in the wings.

Andrews has never made any secret of the fact that he does not see his future back at Ewood Park, despite the fact that he still has 18 months of his Blackburn contract to run.

Despite no lack of interest from Premiership clubs — Aston Villa, Everton, Bolton, Swansea and Wigan have all enquired about Andrews’s availability — Town boss Paul Jewell is not about to throw in the towel in his efforts to retain him on a permanent basis.

Delaney would also like his Irish compatriot to stay at Portman Road: “I would love to see him back here, not just for the goals he has scored but for his overall contribution. He was great to have around the place and on the defensive side he was fabulous.

“As a defender, when you’ve got someone like Keith in your team you’re happy because of the shift he puts in. He’s injured now but it will give him a chance to consider his options.

“I don’t know if we’ll see Keith again. I wouldn’t rule out him staying at Blackburn, especially if there is a managerial change there. You could see the new manager looking at a player like Keith and saying ‘He’s definitely someone I want in my squad’.”

Photo: Action Images

BLUEBEAT added 15:29 - Dec 30 Delaney looks weird with hair on top of his skull
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legoman added 15:35 - Dec 30 If you were to glue a stick to his chin it would look like a mask
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