Blackburn Rovers, John Eustace must consider signing rethink after Hayden Carter blow | OneFootball

The Ewood Park club will be without one of their key men for quite some time

Saturday afternoon proved to be a rather frustrating one for Blackburn Rovers, as they travelled to Vicarage Road to face Watford.

Despite a strong start to the season, John Eustace's side went into the game looking to improve on a return of just three points from five away league games at the start of the campaign.

But despite an improved performance, an at best controversially awarded penalty for handball by Ryan Hedges was dispatched by Edo Kayembe to secure a 1-0 win for the hosts.

As a result, Blackburn continue to wait for a first away league victory this season, and have won just one of their last five league games.

Beyond that, the mood of those connected to the club will not have been helped by the news to emerge post-match, on the situation surrounding Hayden Carter.

Blackburn Rovers centre-back facing a long spell out

On Wednesday, Carter had been forced off just 34 minutes into Rovers' goalless draw with West Brom at Ewood Park.

With the centre-back having needed several minutes of treatment before his withdrawal, there will have been concern about the state of his injury.

The 24-year-old has been in fine form so far this season, helping Blackburn to look much more solid defensively, and even filling in at right-back for several games when Callum Brittain was injured.

However, Carter himself is now set for a long spell on the sidelines, with Eustace revealing after the Watford game that the defender is facing two to three months out with a knee injury.

As the Rovers head coach himself admitted, that will be a big blow to his side until the defender is back available.

Indeed, it could even be argued that it may now mean Blackburn should consider changing the transfer stance they have taken since the summer window.

Free agent addition may be needed at Ewood Park

Despite a busy summer window that saw the club make nine new first-team signings, there is still space on their official squad list for Rovers to sign players via the free agent market.

So far, the club have refrained from doing that, with it being reported back in September that the club had no plans to sign any players currently without a club.

But with Carter now out of action, Blackburn may well need to change their stance over free agent signings, given what they are left with at centre-back.

In the absence of Carter, the only senior options in that position for Eustace to call upon alongside first choice Dom Hyam, are 34-year-old Danny Batth, and 37-year-old Kyle McFadzean.

Having joined Rovers on a free transfer in the summer following his departure from Norwich, it is Batth who has stepped into the centre of defence since Carter's injury.

He also filled that role during the five games in which Carter stepped in at right-back while Brittain was out injured.

Initially, Batth enjoyed an excellent run while filling that role, producing three brilliant performances at the start of that run.

However, in the last two games of that run, he did seem to show the years in his legs somewhat, struggling to keep up with younger attacking threats in defeats to Coventry and Plymouth.

As a result, while he can certainly do a job for a time, there may be questions as to whether can cope with the demands of an extended spell in the Blackburn side he may face in Carter's absence.

Indeed, since extending his contract at the club in the summer, McFadzean is yet to make a league appearance during the current campaign.

That may also mean that it would be a big ask for him to step into the side and fill Carter's role, even if it may potentially just be for a game or two to give Batth a break.

All of that also means it is going to be hard for Hyam to get a break between now and the 24-year-old's return to action. That might not come until after the busy Christmas and New Year period.

With that in mind, adding a free agent centre-back to the squad could be something that is now worth thinking about for Blackburn.

That way, if and when a new option comes in to boost the numbers in that position, it will give Eustace the scope he needs to rotate.

In turn, that will ease the demands on the three options Rovers currently have who are facing a busy period until Carter is fit and available to return.

Through that, those at Ewood Park can be more confident that they have a group of centre-backs fresh enough, and being given the rest they need, to cope with this frantic run of games.

With all that in mind, a change in plans from the immediate aftermath of the summer transfer window, does feel as though it may be a well-advised one for Blackburn Rovers.