Villanueva has scored one goal in international football

Blackburn defender Brett Emerton believes summer signing Carlos Villanueva will soon become a fans' favourite at Ewood Park.

The Chile forward, 22, joined Rovers on loan from Audax Italiano in his homeland at the beginning of August, with a view to a permanent deal.

"It's there for all to see that he has a lot of quality," Emerton told BBC Radio Lancashire.

"He'll definitely be a major asset to this team once he settles in."

Villanueva opened his scoring account for the club during Wednesday's Carling Cup victory over Grimsby.

And Emerton feels the Chile international will adjust quickly to the pace of top-flight football.

"Obviously we're going to come up against better teams, but I'm convinced from what I've seen in training Carlos will do well in the Premier League.

"It's never easy when you move to a new club, especially moving so far away from home. But he seems to have adjusted fairly well and he seems like a really nice lad."