Blackburn Rovers played Tuesday's 2-1 home defeat to Sheffield United without a recognised striker, Jayden Fevrier deployed as a false nine to cover for Andri Gudjohnsen. That necessity summed up the scale of the injury problems Tony Mowbray has been managing, but the Rovers head coach believes the worst may be behind his squad.

Gudjohnsen and Baradji closing in on returns

Gudjohnsen had logged 418 minutes across Rovers' opening five Championship fixtures before picking up his latest knock, with Mathias Jorgensen and Yuki Ohashi also sidelined and not expected back for another few weeks. The Iceland international returned to training on Thursday, and Mowbray told BBC Radio Lancashire he is hopeful Gudjohnsen will be available for Saturday's visit of Millwall (15:00 BST) at Ewood Park.

Moussa Baradji could go one further. The forward has not featured at all this season, but Mowbray raised the prospect of Baradji making his first appearance off the bench on Saturday, giving Rovers an option they have lacked badly in recent weeks.

"It's starting to improve and starting to get better," Mowbray said. "It would be nice to have some more senior players to try and change a game late on as opposed to hoping a young boy comes on and does something quite special."

The comment underlines what the injury list has actually cost Rovers in practical terms: the ability to shift the shape and tempo of a game from the bench, rather than relying on younger players to conjure moments of individual quality.

Ito deal appears dead

Less encouraging is the news surrounding Japan midfielder Ryotaro Ito. The 28-year-old, who spent last season in Belgium, had been at the club on Monday and appeared close to joining as a free agent. Mowbray now believes the move will not be completed.

"I'm not really sure what's happened," he said. "At this moment there's nothing happening. I genuinely don't know but my experience would suggest to me that it's not going to happen now."

Mowbray acknowledged he had requested reinforcements weeks ago and that the club had been working to bring players in, making the collapse of the Ito deal a notable setback given the squad's current depth. According to the report, no explanation has been offered for why the agreement broke down.

Results must follow

The injury situation has coincided with a damaging run of form. Blackburn have taken only one point from their last four Championship matches and currently sit 10 places and four points below eighth-placed Millwall, the side they host on Saturday.

Mowbray is clear that performances alone are no longer sufficient to justify the position. "We know we need to find a result," he said. "We can't keep thinking the team is playing quite well but we're getting beat again or drawing again."

"I think we are better than the results have suggested the last couple of games and deserved more from them, but the reality is you have to win matches and get points."

The return of senior bodies in attack could shift that picture. Fevrier's shift as a false nine against Sheffield United highlighted the tactical constraints Mowbray has operated under, and a fit Gudjohnsen changes the options in the final third considerably. Saturday's match against Millwall now carries real weight: a first win in five would arrest a slide that has quietly dragged Rovers away from the upper half of the table.

Frequently asked

When is Blackburn vs Millwall?
Blackburn Rovers host Millwall at Ewood Park on Saturday, kick-off 15:00 BST.
Is Andri Gudjohnsen fit for Blackburn?
Gudjohnsen returned to training on Thursday and Tony Mowbray is hopeful he will be available to face Millwall on Saturday, though no guarantee has been given.
Who is Ryotaro Ito and why did his Blackburn move fall through?
Ryotaro Ito is a 28-year-old Japan midfielder who was a free agent after playing in Belgium. He visited Ewood Park on Monday but Mowbray says the deal now looks unlikely to happen, with no clear reason given for the breakdown.