Despite still being in his teens, Junior Hoilett has experienced a lot during his time at Rovers.

Having joined the club's Academy at the age of 13, the young forward spent two seasons on loan in Germany, before making his mark in the Premier League this term.

Junior, who this week put pen-to-paper on a new contract with the club, admits it was a difficult decision to leave home at such a young age, but is reaping the rewards now.

"At the age of 11, I came over with my Canadian team for the Ian Rush tournament in Wales and was scouted by a number of clubs," said the 19-year-old.

"When I was 12, I came over on a month's trial to Blackburn and the following year they wanted me to move over, which I had to think about.

"I decided to go for it and I was delighted. I had to move away from my family and friends and the first year was difficult, but I've learnt how to cope with it and here I am today."

Junior gained valuable experience of playing first-team football in front of big crowds during his loan spells with SC Paderborn and St Pauli, and he hopes to use those experiences to his advantage here in the Premier League.

"I enjoyed my time out in Germany," he added. "I improved a lot and it was a great experience to play in front of thousands of fans at such a young age. I really enjoyed it.

"I'm really looking forward to working more with Sam. He has confidence with me, he believes in young players and I'm happy to be here.

"There are a lot of young players coming though and we all work well together as a unit, so hopefully we'll develop well."