Blackburn’s 15-year-old starlet forced to wear different shirt to teammates for bizarre reason

Rory Finneran stood out on his professional debut for Blackburn, but not for the reason he would have hoped.

The highly-rated 15-year-old Irishman came off the bench in a 5-2 FA Cup win over Cambridge.

Making his way on in stoppage time for hat-trick hero and Championship top scorer Sammie Szmodics, Finneran debuted in a different kit to his teammates.

The front of the academy graduate’s home kit was blank due Blackburn’s kit sponsor being a vape company.

Vapes can’t be used or sold to people under the age of 18 in the UK, meaning Finneran was barred from donning the company’s name.

The story could well end up being a pub quiz question in many years time, with Finneran projected to have a big future in the game.

Reports claim Newcastle are prepared to make an offer for the Ireland U17 international, who has been with Rovers academy since the age of eight.

Expected to get plenty more minutes in the future, Finneran only managed a handful in stoppage time, but his manager explained how important the experience is.

«We are working very hard to try and create those players, we always speak about players,” Jon Dahl Tomasson said. “He has trained with me a lot of times as well.

»All of the players, even the Under-18s, we know quite well. We need to develop players as well so we can be sustainable over time.

«If it's a good player, it's a good opportunity to learn because the squad is stretched so we should use it. I will probably have issues tomorrow because the school will call me and give me a headache, the boy needs to get to bed!»

«Experiencing the pre-match meal, the pre-match meeting, being around the dressing room is important,» he added. «You see how the big lads are doing things.

»You're warming up, you are in Ewood and then you