Blackburn Rovers have reached an agreement with Leicester City to sign George Hirst on a season-long loan deal, Football Insider have reported.
And the striker is set to undergo a medical tonight with the Lancashire club, which will strengthen Jon Dahl Tomasson’s options at the top of the pitch for the current campaign.
Hirst spent pre-season training with the Foxes senior side under the watchful eye of Brendan Rodgers, but he hasn’t made a matchday squad so far this season in the Premier League.
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Now, with less than a year remaining on his contract at the King Power Stadium, Hirst looks set to give Championship football another shot, and there’s a chance he could extend his deal with Leicester before leaving temporarily.
Hirst spent last season with Portsmouth in League One, scoring 13 times for Pompey in 40 outings, but in the previous campaign he failed to score in 31 attempts at Championship level while on loan at Rotherham United.
The verdict
With only Sam Gallagher and Jack Vale as centre-forward options, with Ben Brereton Diaz seen as a left winger, Blackburn desperately needed a new option in the middle.
And Hirst, although unproven at Championship level, could be seen as a decent option thanks to his form in the second half of last season at third tier.
The championship is the next logical step for Hirst’s development, but at the age of 23, he isn’t exactly considered a young pup anymore.
It’s worth giving him at least a chance, and if a loan deal is agreed next summer he could be a good permanent addition to Ewood Park.
