BLACKBURN Rovers defender Jay McEveley is ready to make his long-awaited comeback after six months out with a serious knee injury.

McEveley has not kicked a ball in anger since he dislocated his knee cap during a loan spell with Burnley at the beginning of January.

However, the 19-year-old has now made a complete recovery following months of pain-staking rehabilitation work under the watchful eye of the club's medical staff at Brockhall.

And the former Everton starlet, who was once a team-mate of England sensation Wayne Rooney, will be ready to resume his Rovers career when pre-season training gets underway on July 7.

News of McEveley's recovery will come as a major boost to manager Graeme Souness, who is also hoping to welcome back David Thompson and Barry Ferguson in a fortnight's time.

The versatile defender made a big impact when he first burst onto the scene 18 months ago, making nine Premiership appearances during the 2002-2003 season.

His chances then became limited following the signing of Vratislav Gresko last summer and a loan move to Burnley subsequently turned sour when he got injured on his full Clarets debut in an FA Cup tie at Mansfield.

Since then, Souness has also signed Michael Gray, which has further increased the competition for places at left-back.

But McEveley is relishing the prospect of challenging Gray for a regular spot in the side and a good pre-season campaign could see him leap ahead of Gresko in the pecking order.

In the meantime, Rovers continue to pursue Leeds United defender, Dominic Matteo, but if a deal is to be struct then it's more likely to happen next week when the 30-year-old returns from a family holiday.