The 1996 Blackburn Rovers decision that made the club 17m and more: View | OneFootball

Fans wouldn't have been surprised if Blackburn Rovers aimlessly spent the world-record fee they received for Alan Shearer in 1996.

Instead, though, Blackburn spent nothing and promoted young Irish winger Damien Duff to the first team.

It would prove to be a masterstroke as Duff went on to cement his place in Blackburn's team in the following years before leaving for newly monied Chelsea in 2003, securing Rovers a reported £17m transfer fee.

Duff was an electric winger with pace to burn and an eye for goal. He struggled for consistency in his first few seasons at the club. But following Blackburn's promotion back to the Premier League, he found his feet, quickly becoming one of the most dangerous forwards in the division.

Duff's performances soon caught the eye of Chelsea, who had just been taken over by Roman Abramovich, and a move to west London was completed in the summer of 2003.

Duff would go on to win back-to-back Premier League titles at Chelsea, whilst Blackburn would reinvest some of the money into the signings of Steven Reid and Brett Emerton, who would become stalwarts of the club.

Duff's move to Blackburn worked out for all parties, securing the club a sizeable fee, which they reinvested wisely, whilst also taking Duff's career to another level.

Tough early years character-building for Duff

As an academy player, Duff says he was routinely given a tough time by the senior players, particularly Tim Sherwood and Chris Sutton.

He credits it as character-building, though, and after feeling his way into the first team, Duff made his presence felt as Blackburn dropped out of the Premier League.

Senior players Sutton and Tim Flowers, who had been part of the infamous 1994/95 title win, departed in 1999 with Sherwood and Colin Hendry leaving the season before.

This opened up room for a new generation of players, including Duff, to make their mark as Blackburn faced the prospect of relegation from the Premier League.

The 101-capped Irishman helped Blackburn to promotion back to the Premier League, consolidating his place within the starting XI, a place he wouldn't relinquish until his departure to Chelsea.

Duff plays pivotal role in Blackburn's renaissance

Seven years on from Blackburn's Premier League title win, the club were promoted back to the top-flight, with Duff a key part of their attack.

He hit the ground running during the 2001-02 season, recording his best-ever goalscoring season and securing the League Cup with a 2-1 win over Tottenham Hotspur.

Duff had created history with Blackburn and would improve on his season-best goalscoring return the following season, earning a move to Chelsea that summer.

Duff is respected as one of the greatest Irish exports to the Premier League following stints with Blackburn, Chelsea, Newcastle and Fulham.

Injuries plagued his career after leaving Lancashire, but on his day he was regarded as one of the most exciting wingers in the topflight and Blackburn will look back at the deal with fondness.