Preston North End product Ethan Walker 'over the moon' to be a Blackburn Rovers player

Walker will join Rovers’ Under-23s set-up on a two-year-deal this summer, with his contract at PNE set to expire.

He was not offered a new deal to stay at Deepdale, ending a 10-year association with the club.

The 19-year-old was North End’s youngest ever player when he made his first-team debut against Aston Villa in December 2018 but has since managed just 10 further minutes of action.

He makes a move similar to that of Tyrhys Dolan who like his fellow winger was not offered a deal at PNE and instead moved on to Ewood Park.

Also initially signed for the Under-23s, having impressed in North End’s academy, Dolan impressed Rovers boss Tony Mowbray enough to get his chance in the first team, where he now wears the No.10 jersey.

Dolan’s success has been seen as one of the bigger failings at PNE in recent seasons, though opinion seems split so far on what kind of impact Walker could have at Ewood Park.

Speaking to the Rovers website, Walker said: “I’m over the moon really because I’ve been racking my brain over the last couple of weeks to make a decision on what is right for me and my career for the next couple of years.

“I feel like I’ve made the right decision and I’m excited to get going now.

“There are a lot of people here that I know, people I’ve played with, and they’ve all said how great the club is for young players.

“I hope this is the place where I can really get my careerstarted.

“I want to be happy, that’s when I get the best out of myself.

“I’m hopeful that first-team football is on the cards, whether that’s here or out on loan somewhere.

“I want to get my head down and make a good impression.

“It’s a fresh start and I'm aware that a lot of people wouldn’t know too much about me.

“I want to come in, have people talking about me and impressing them with what I can do. I’ve been working hard in the off-season to make sure I’m fighting fit and ready to go.”