TONY MOWBRAY has preached the need for patience when it comes to Middlesbrough loanee Harry Chapman, but the Blackburn Rovers boss expects the 19-year-old to be a key part of his team’s promotion push this season.

Chapman joined Blackburn on loan in the summer, and has made a series of appearances from the substitutes’ bench for the League One side.

He scored his first Rovers goal in last week’s 2-0 win over Rotherham United, with the strike sparking a clamour for his promotion to the starting line-up for last weekend’s game with Gillingham.

Instead, Mowbray came kept him on the bench before bringing him on for the final half-hour of his side’s 1-0 victory.

The former Boro boss has brought through a host of talented young players during his managerial career, and regards Chapman as a hugely exciting prospect. However, he insists it is important not to rush the England Under-20 international’s development, even if he expects him to eventually carve out a regular place in the starting line-up.

“I know the fans are asking for Chapman to start games, and there will be a spell this season when he will,” said Mowbray. “But at this moment he’s a very young boy making a big impact when he’s coming off the bench, and at the moment I think that’s best for the team that he does make an impact.

“We need to be solid and stay in football matches, and he understands that. He’s not banging on my door saying, ‘Why am I not starting?’ He’s a young boy who’s learning the game.”

Chapman scored one of the stand-out goals of the last few years when he waltzed through the Torino defence as Middlesbrough’s youth team beat their Italian opponents in the UEFA Youth League in 2015, and while last week’s goal for Blackburn was a much more routine affair as he tapped home a rebound after his initial shot was saved, Mowbray has been dazzled by some of his efforts on the training ground.

“He’s great to watch on the training pitch,” he said. “He’s a bit grumpy sometimes, but he’s shown his talent and quality.

“When we need something to happen on the pitch, he’s usually the first guy I look at, and there’s some pretty big names sitting behind me on that bench. Within ten seconds of coming on, he’s whizzed past three players and put a ball into the box, so I’m happy with him.”