Blackburn boss gives Jansen hope

Jansen last played for Blackburn in December 2005 (Getty)

Blackburn manager Paul Ince is happy to give Matt Jansen time to get his career back on track after the striker resumed training with his old club.

Jansen, 31, has not played competitive football since leaving Bolton in 2006.

Ince told BBC Radio Lancashire: "He has been out of the game for 18 months but the good thing is he has kept himself fit. We will see how it goes.

"In his head he felt he wanted to jack it all in. But he has come back and he wants to play football."

With Ince keen to strengthen his injury-hit squad, and with limited funds available in the January window, the Blackburn manager has hinted that Jansen may be offered a contract.

"Who knows?," Ince added. "We can't go around spending eight or nine million pounds on players.

"If we can get someone like Matt Jansen fit and see if he can slot in to our first team maybe it will be a good surprise for us.

"He's a legend here. One thing about Matty is he didn't retire from football due to injury. He is still fit and still has great feet."