Blackburn Rovers manager Tony Mowbray is certain that young defender Taylor Harwood-Bellis has the quality to play for the first team at parent club Manchester City.

Mowbrayspoke about Harwood-Bellis in a recent interview with the Lancashire Telegraph amidst the transfer rumours linking him with other clubs.

Blackburn Rovers sealed the loan transfer of Taylor Harwood-Bellis during the winter transfer window and he has been one of their best players since then. Blackburn Rovers have seen their chances of retaining the defender’s services diminish in recent weeks after it emerged that a lot of teams in both the English Championship and the Premier League want to sign him.

Championship club Brentford and Premier League team Leeds United are two of the teams keen to sign the Blackburn Rovers centre back. The interest of both Leeds United and Brentford was reported by The Sun.Blackburn Rovers boss Mowbray has told the player that he has the qualities needed to play at a top club like Manchester City.

Harwood-Bellis has several players in front of him in the centre back pecking order at Manchester City but his loan performance at Blackburn Rovers would have brought his qualities closer to Cityzens boss Pep Guardiola. The Manchester City loanee has made 11 appearances for Blackburn Rovers, averaging 1.4 interceptions and 2.4 clearances per game.

Ruben Dias, AymericLaporte, John Stones, Nathan Ake and Eric Garcia are all ahead of Harwood-Bellis in the pecking order as far as the Manchester City defence is concerned.

The Manchester City loanee has a passing accuracy of 79% during his time at Blackburn Rovers till date and he has to improve on this aspect of his game if he wants to play for Pep Guardiola at the Etihad Stadium.