Jordan Rhodes: Blackburn Rovers manager dismisses striker exit talk

Jordan Rhodes has scored 13 goals in 35 appearances this season

Blackburn Rovers manager Gary Bowyer has dismissed suggestions that striker Jordan Rhodes could leave.

The 25-year-old has been linked with a loan move to Derby and Norwich after he did not start in Sunday's 0-0 FA Cup quarter-final draw at Liverpool.

The Scotland international joined from Huddersfield Town for £8m in 2012 and has scored 66 goals in 131 games.

"I don't understand why we'd want to even consider loaning one of our players to rivals," said Bowyer.

Bowyer, who used Rudy Gestede as a sole striker at Anfield, told BBC Radio Lancashire: "I think it's come out of possibly that he wasn't involved in the starting 11 on Sunday.

"If you look at our game plan and the way we went about it, we were never going to go to Anfield with two strikers."

Rhodes extended his contract at Ewood Park last summer until 2019 and was the subject of two bids from Premier League side Hull in August.

"We've had plenty of chats, of course we have," added Bowyer. "But he's starting on Wednesday against Bolton and we're looking forward to him scoring like he did last week at Sheffield Wednesday.

"It's simple. We've got 11 league games left and a Cup quarter-final with a potential visit to Wembley.

"Why we would want to be letting any of our players go at this stage is beyond me."