Super Eagles defender Ryan Alebiosu says regaining match fitness and getting valuable minutes were the main takeaways from Blackburn Rovers’ 3-0 pre-season defeat to Nottingham Forest.

Speaking to Rovers TV, the Nigerian international explained that matching up against high calibre Premier League and European level players, including Morgan Gibbs-White, showed the squad exactly the intensity and concentration needed heading into the new season.

He said it felt good to get 60 minutes in his legs and shake off some rust after coming back from a spell of illness that had affected parts of the squad, adding that playing in the heat made those minutes even more valuable for building fitness.

Alebiosu was respectful of the opposition, noting that Nottingham Forest are a big club who competed in the Premier League and Europe last season, meaning it was always going to be a tough battle. Despite the scoreline, he said competing hard through the first half and large spells of the match motivated the group to believe they could raise their standard this season.

He described the experience of testing himself against players like Gibbs-White as motivational, saying it gave the squad belief they could compete and achieve strong results of their own this campaign.