Ryan Hedges’ injury dealt a severe setback to Blackburn Rovers.

Ryan Hedges’ hamstring injury against Ipswich Town will keep him out for at least three months.

Eight minutes after entering the game at Portman Road as a halftime substitute, the winger was removed. Hedges limped off the field, and Jon Dahl Tomasson expressed concern that he would be “out for some time” following the game.

The medical report verified such concerns, with Hedges expected to be sidelined until Christmas. He may or may not need surgery; Rovers are weighing their options and seeking a second opinion from a physician.

“Sam Barnes is out, Sam Gallagher is out and Niall Ennis is not available,” Tomasson said. “It’s extremely disappointing to lose Ryan.

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“He is one of the players that has played a lot, he is an experienced player, it is a young squad. Along with Sam Gallagher, he is one of the oldest in the squad.

“He will probably be out for three months, maybe even longer. We have to wait and see.

“It is extremely disappointing for the lad but also for the team as a senior player. That is football, it’s a lot of players in the same position that are getting injured.

“We can’t change that. We are playing a lot of games, it can happen in football.”

“Maybe, we are speaking to a specialist so we will wait and see,” he added.

Hedges’ injury leaves Rovers with Dilan Markanday, Tyrhys Dolan, Arnor Sigurdsson and Andrew Moran as options to play on the right of the attack. Rankin-Costello could be another option as a more advanced player though he’s not played there under Tomasson.

The Welshman has been a consistent performer for Rovers and has managed to avoid a serious injury until now at Ewood Park. The winger will hope to be fit for the New Year and play a role in the second half of the season.

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Blackburn Rovers are a club that are steeped in history, but they have still not tasted Premier League football in 11 years after their relegation from the top flight of English football.

With a squad that is littered with young talents and many that have come through the club’s youth academy, what are Rovers players believed to be getting paid?

What is Blackburn Rovers’ annual wage bill?

According to ESTIMATES made by Capology, Blackburn’s annual wage bill is £5,754,000 for the 2023-24 season.

There is reason to speculate though that the numbers could be a little bit off as the estimates for last season had their wage bill at the time at around £9,876,000.

The official accounts though make for different reading before this season, stating that Rovers’ wage bill for both players and staff between April 1, 2022 and March 31, 2023 was £25.8 million – that though will include all club staff as well as under-21’s and under-18’s too.

A significant chunk will come off on the next set of accounts next year due to the departures of Daniel Ayala, Bradley Dack and Ben Brereton Diaz over the summer, but at the same time it’s likely that a lot of Rovers players are on a bit more than what is estimated by Capology.

Who is the highest earner at Blackburn Rovers?

Once again, according to ESTIMATES made by Capology, the highest earner at Blackburn Rovers is apparently Dominic Hyam.

The centre-back arrived from Coventry City last summer, with Rovers paying a £2.5 million fee – which includes add-ons – to prize the Scotsman away from the CBS Arena.

And the 27-year-old played regularly for Blackburn in not only his first year at the club but also Tomasson’s, featuring 42 times in all competitions as they narrowly missed out on a play-off spot.

Such is his ability and experience at Championship level, Hyam was a much-needed addition to replace Darragh Lenihan at the heart of the Rovers defence in 2022, and his estimated weekly wage of £16,923 – which is £880,000 a year – is believed to be the highest.

Also believed to be close to the same figures as Hyam is new signing Arnor Sigurdsson, who is on a temporary one-year contract from CSKA Moscow as he was allowed to suspend his contract in the Russian capital once again.

The Icelandic winger is estimated to be on around £15,000 a week at Ewood Park, with Sam Gallagher following closely behind.

The target man has been at Blackburn for over four years now since signing from Southampton in 2019, and his estimated weekly wage of £14,423 will be somewhat accurate as he is one of the more proven and experienced members of the squad.

Sammie Szmodics is also estimated to be in the higher band of paid players, with estimated weekly earnings of £14,231 for the creative attacking midfielder.