Blackburn Rovers' chief executive John Williams today said Chinese striker Qu Bo will be given every opportunity to prove he can carve out a career for himself in England.

The 22-year-old is currently on trial with Rovers and looks set to stay for the foreseeable future as he attempts to win a dream move to the Premiership.

Graeme Souness recently invited the Qingdao hit-man to train with the club following a similar spell with Tottenham Hotspur.

And I can reveal that Rovers have already negotiated an option to make the arrangement more permanent if the player makes a suitable impression over the next couple of months.

Qu Bo is already one of the top stars in Chinese football and if Souness decided to add him to his squad then it would open up a whole range of new commercial opportunities for the club in the lucrative Far East market.

However, Williams insists any decision concerning the player's future will be based on football issues rather than his commercial value.

"Qu Bo's got a big reputation back home so we'll see how he gets on over the next few weeks," said Williams.

"Our part of the deal is to get him back to full fitness and then he'll be assessed from there.

"We've got an option to either take him on loan or purchase him permanently when the transfer window re-opens in January.

"Essentially, it's a football decision but clearly the commercial side of it would be beneficial if he became a good player for us.

"The commercial opportunities are obvious but any decision will be a football one."

Several players from the Far East have managed to make the breakthrough in English football during the last few years, particularly in the wake of last summer's World Cup.

Japanese international Junichi Inamoto has built up a cult following at Fulham in the last 12 months, while Everton boss David Moyes recently extended Chinese international Li Tie's stay at Goodison Park.

Now Rovers are the latest club to explore the possibilities of the Far East and Williams believes it makes perfect sense given how much it costs to sign a player in Europe.

"Where do you go for players these days, particularly where strikers are concerned?" said Rovers' chief executive.

"Everyone knows everybody so it's only right and proper that we cast our net wider and wider in order to explore all the options available to us.

"Qu Bo is desperate to play in the Premiership. I think he would be 100 per cent focused.

"But as I've already said, it will eventually come down to a football decision."

Meanwhile, defender Craig Short has handed his manager, Graeme Souness, a huge boost by revealing he could be back in action by the end of the month.

"I've been told I should be looking at the end of October before I start playing again," said Short, who has been given the all-clear to step up his training programme.

"I've missed playing, but I'm determined to make sure the knee is right before I come back."

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