Blackburn Coach Eustace Confirms Sigurdsson’s Absence for Stoke Match

John Eustace, who took over as Blackburn manager from Jon Dahl Tomasson in February, has announced that Arnor Sigurdsson will be unavailable for Wednesday’s Championship home fixture against Stoke City. Speaking to BBC Radio Lancashire, Eustace indicated that the Icelandic midfielder is anticipated to return following the international break, meaning he will also miss the upcoming trip to Cardiff City on Saturday. Regarding Sigurdsson’s condition, Eustace stated: “Obviously, he has had a tough time recently through illness and injury just as he was coming up to speed. The last couple of weeks he’s trained well and just as he’s about to come back into the team, unfortunately he’s got a slight strain, so, frustrating all round really.” Meanwhile, Eustace expressed caution regarding the fitness of young striker Harry Leonard, following the 21-year-old forward’s return to first-team training. Despite Rovers’ three-game scoring drought, the Stoke match appears to be too early for Leonard to participate. Eustace commented on Leonard’s situation, saying: “I think it’s important we don’t push Harry too early. He’s still short of match fitness and that’s why he’s been playing a lot for the under-23s but as long as we can keep him match-fit, he’s going to get stronger and stronger throughout the season. We know he can score goals, he’s done that through all the levels. He’s a young player coming from the academy and everyone loves a player coming through the ranks and he’s hungry to do well.”