SAM Allardyce said today that he was pleased Zurab Khizanishvili had found a route to more regular first team football following the Georgian's loan move to Newcastle.

Khizanishvili's opportunities with Rovers have been very limited this term and the manager said: "We've managed to agree a situation with Newcastle for the next three months so that Zurab can get some first team football, a situation he desperately needs and was desperately after.

"It may lead to something more permanent, I don't know at this stage, but certainly Zurab and ourselves are glad that he's got the chance he wanted.

"He was keen to leave before the window closed, but there wasn't a suitable club come in for him."

Whilst Allardyce allowed the Georgian to move on loan, he doesn't expect any of his other senior stars to be moving on.

"I can't see anybody else doing that now," added Sam. "We'll do our younger end, our younger professionals to gain experience at first team level but I think from Zurab's point of view his first team games have been so limited here, not just with me but with previous managers that it is the right thing to do for his career to get it back on track."