Soccer: Nelsen to sign 3-year deal with Rovers

Ryan Nelsen, pictured tackling Manchester United and England superstar Wayne Rooney, has quickly become a favourite with the Blackburn Rovers fans. Picture / Reuters

Ryan Nelsen will sign a new three-year deal with Blackburn Rovers to secure his long-term future in England.

Nelsen will put pen to paper during the closed season once Blackburn have obtained the right visa for the New Zealand international.

This is now a formality due to Nelsen's outstanding performances for Rovers and the fact he is now playing regular Premiership football.

"I don't think it's going to be a problem at all. I've played 18 games for the first team and feel I've proved myself on the field," said the All Whites captain.

Nelsen arrived at the club in January, but because New Zealand are ranked outside of Fifa's top 70 nations he failed to qualify for an automatic visa.

Rovers lawyers managed to find a loophole in the working holiday visa scheme, which is normally used by young Kiwis looking to spend time living and working in England.

But that allowed Nelsen to sign only an 18-month contract and manager Mark Hughes is keen to keep the 27-year-old defender at the club.

"The only reason we gave Ryan the length of contract we did was because it was a gamble bringing him over here at the time," said Hughes, reflecting on how the New Zealander arrived on a free transfer from United States-based side DC United and was an unknown quantity in the Premiership.

The gamble paid off. He's become a firm favourite with the Rovers' fans, who see Nelsen as a major factor in their turn-around in fortunes.

Blackburn had struggled all season, leaking goals and were flirting with relegation when Nelsen made his debut.

From the start he proved that he could handle playing soccer in one of the world's top leagues. He formed an instant partnership in the heart of Rovers defence with Andy Todd and helped American goalkeeper Brad Friedel keep 11 clean sheets so far.

His impressive form fuelled speculation of lucrative moves elsewhere, prompting Blackburn to act quickly in securing Nelsen's future with the club.

"Ryan's proved himself at this level and we look forward to rewarding him accordingly," said Hughes.

Nelsen is keen to focus on Blackburn's two remaining fixtures before discussing his future.

"I'll just concentrate on playing and leave the talking to the suits."

* One hundred members of the All Whites Supporters Group will be at Rovers final game of the season, against Tottenham at White Hart Lane, London on May 15.