Blackburn Rovers: John Eustace should consider offloading 19-year-old from Ewood Park in January | OneFootball

John Eustace has given himself a new option to turn to in one position

One position there has been some intrigue over for Blackburn Rovers recently, is right-back.

During the summer transfer window, the Ewood Park club elected not to add to their options on that side of their defence before the market closed.

As a result, when their first choice option in that position, Callum Brittain, picked up a knock in late August that ruled him out for several weeks, there were questions over who would fill that role.

Initially, it was centre-back Hayden Carter who stepped into the role, and did start well with some impressive performances helping Blackburn to three consecutive clean sheets.

However, the 24-year-old did then look much more out of place in subsequent defeats to Coventry City and Plymouth Argyle, prompting head coach John Eustace to make a change in that role.

Joe Rankin-Costello is back on the right of defence

With around 20 minutes to go in that defeat at Plymouth, Eustace brought Joe Rankin-Costello off the bench, and placed in that right-back position.

That is not position the Blackburn academy graduate is unfamiliar with, having previously played there under Tony Mowbray and Jon Dahl Tomasson.

This though, was the first time he had played there under Eustace, suggesting he had been reluctant to use him in that role in the past.

Now though, it appears that may no longer be the case, with an impressive goalscoring performance from Rankin-Costello one of the few positives for Rovers from the trip to Home Park.

As a result, the 25-year-old kept place in the starting XI at right-back when Blackburn returned from the international break on Saturday afternoon.

From there, he would put in another solid performance, rarely looking troubled while helping the side to get back on track with a 1-0 win over Swansea City at Ewood Park.

Thanks to those two outings, Eustace should have no qualms about using Rankin-Costello in that position again for Rovers in the future.

As a result, it does seem that on the back of that, there is one potential loan exit for the January transfer window, that Blackburn ought to be lining up.

Leo Duru could benefit from loan move away from Blackburn

Having come through the youth ranks with the club, Leo Duru has made something of a breakthrough this season, with his first senior appearances.

He came on as a half-time substitute in the Carabao Cup win at Stockport County, before starting in the defeat to Blackpool in the following round.

After that, the right-back did come off the bench for the final few minutes of the trip to Burnley, helping to see out that game after Brittain had picked up his knock.

However, he has not featured in the six matches Blackburn have played since then, although he impressed for the USA Under 20s on his first international call-up earlier this month.

The fact he has not been involved for Rovers in the absence of Brittain, would suggest that Eustace himself, does not yet feel Duru has the experience needed to take on that role from the start.

As a result, a January loan move for the 19-year-old would surely be the best course of action, in order to get him the game time he needs to be ready to fill that role in the future.

Indeed, the return of Rankin-Costello to that right-back berth should surely open the door for such a deal to be negotiated for the American.

With both Rankin-Costello and Carter clearly viable options for Blackburn at right-back if they lose Brittain again, loaning out Duru should not be a concern when it comes to depth in that area.

Instead, given the fact it could make the teenager a more genuine option for the Lancashire club in the future, it would likely improve that depth in the long-term.

So the return of Rankin-Costello at right-back may not only be a boost for Blackburn on the pitch, it could also open up a new door for Duru come January, as he takes the next step in his own career.