The case for Blackburn Rovers winger to stay on loan at Chesterfield

But we think that Blackburn Rovers should resist the temptation to recall Dilan Markanday from his season-long loan at Chesterfield. The 23-year-old has impressed, scoring five goals. His dribbling, ability to keep possesion and his willingness to track back have all caught the eye. More recently, he has moved into the number 10 position, and he has looked right at home there.

So you can understand why they might be considering it. The fact they refused to let him play against Horsham on Saturday, which would mean he would be cup-tied should he return to Ewood Park, shows it is something the Championship club is open to. A recall clause was not announced at the time he joined the Spireites but, in the modern day, they are very common.

But we’ve seen this film before. A player is allowed to go out on loan to get some game-time. They perform really well. They get recalled. They hardly play (through no fault of their own), sit on the bench, and no one wins from the situation. The player is unhappy. The loan club is frustrated. The parent club shrugs their shoulders. Maybe that doesn’t happen. Maybe Markanday goes back to Blackburn and scores the goals to help them get into the play-offs. But the first scenario seems more likely. They should remember that they had their reasons for loaning him out in the first place.

Instead, he could remain at Chesterfield, play regularly, improve under a manager in Paul Cook who makes players better, continue to get more goals and assists, potentially get a promotion on his CV, and his value will increase. Markanday could then go back to Blackburn next summer in a stronger position to fight for his place. Or Rovers get a decent fee for him. That is a win-win for everyone.

Is it going to be a surprise if Blackburn recall him? No. It would probably be less of a shock if they didn’t. Their FA Cup stance suggests that. But they should think of the bigger picture. But, as we outlined at the start, we are biased on this topic.