Damien Duff is just one of Blackburn's Irish internationals.
He is an exciting product of the Rovers youth system and has made a trademark of scoring spectacular goals.
Duff is a left sided player with plenty of pace and excellent crossing ability he showed his potential with someoutstanding performances on the left wing following the departure of Jason Wilcox
His first full season in the first team was in the 1997/98 season. He made his debut in May 1997 in a 4-2 home defeat against Leicester City. Damien Duff became the first Irish player to play in two FIFA World Youth Championship tournaments. The skilful midfielder represented his country at the 1997 World Youth Championship in Malaysia and the 1999 tournament in Nigeria.
In his first full Premiership season in 2001-02, he was
awarded a second successive 'goal of the season' and also picked up the 'player of the season' award. Damien made his senior Republic of Ireland international debut against the Czech Republic in 1998 and in the 2002 World Cup he helped them to reach the quarter finals in Japan and Korea where he was utilized by Mick McCarthy as a forward, supporting Robbie Keane and providing constant darting runs at the oppositions defenses. His impressive display in the World Cup had Europe's top clubs seriously looking at him. However at the end of August 2002 Duff signed a new four-year contract with Blackburn Rovers
Damien Duff Rumours and Transfers
16 10 2007
Sam Allardyce last night admitted that Damien Duff's current foot injury had been serious enough to jeopardise the Newcastle midfielder's career.
But with the Republic of Ireland international now just two months away from a first-team return, the Magpies manager is looking forward to working with a player he regards as one of the finest wingers in the Premier League.
Duff, who has been sidelined since he broke his foot in April's 2-1 defeat at Portsmouth, has struggled to make an impact since completing a £5m move from Chelsea in July 2006.
He arrived at St James' Park with a reputation as one of English football's most exciting performers, but scored just one goal in his first 33 games as he failed to find his feet on Tyneside.
Things got even worse when he collapsed in a heap at Fratton Park, and there were times when Newcastle's medical staff feared the severity of his foot problem would prevent him making a full recovery.
Thankfully, Duff's rehabilitation has proved successful, and with the Magpies' midfield having lacked a creative spark for the majority of the campaign, Allardyce is eagerly awaiting his return to the first-team picture.
"Damien has been working extremely hard, but the injury he had was a career-threatening one," said the Newcastle boss.
"It was a really nasty injury and a very serious one. It has been a long and difficult recovery for him, but he is desperate to get back. He had a frustrating time last season with injury even before he broke his foot, and he wants to show people the real Damien Duff. There are not many better wide players in the Premier League than Damien and it's up to us to get him back to the level he was at a couple of years ago. If Damien Duff is playing to his full potential, he would be an asset to any club in the Premier League. He was a wonderful player at Blackburn and Chelsea, and he wants to show people what he is capable of at Newcastle."
While he is currently building up his fitness with some light running, Duff is yet to resume full training with the rest of the Newcastle squad.
He is expected to join in group training within the next two weeks but, given the complexity of his foot injury, a first-team return could be postponed until the turn of the year.
"We couldn't have asked any more from him in terms of the work he has put in during his rehabilitation," Allardyce added.
"But, having worked so hard for so long to make sure he can play football again, we don't want to waste all that good work by rushing him into things too quickly. We hope that Damien will be able to join in with group training later this month, but in terms of him playing competitive football in the Premier League, we're going to have to be patient. It might not be until the end of the year. We know Damien will add something to our side when he is available, but we have to make sure he is fit enough to do that."
Newcastle striker Andy Carroll has been sent home from the England Under-19 squad after a breach of discipline.
Carroll, who is currently on loan at Championship club Preston, broke a curfew after Friday night's European Championships qualifier with Iceland and was instructed to leave the squad's training base in Leeds along with Chelsea duo Scott Sinclair and Ryan Bertrand.
