Gary McSheffrey believes Rovers have landed a signing in Adam Long who is already at a good standard at the level above and with only improvement ahead of him.
The centre back has penned a two-year deal with Rovers after switching from Wigan Athletic for an undisclosed fee.
And while the 21-year-old has plenty of development to come in his game, McSheffrey is confident his new acquisition has what it takes to make a big impact for Rovers this season.
“It was about getting the one in that we think is up to the level and to the level above as well,” McSheffrey said.
“He’s really a League One centre back that has come through the system at Wigan. That is what they do - develop players to be comfortable at League One level.
“We feel we are getting a player above League Two level and he is young enough to develop still.
“It just ticks the boxes for me and the club.”
Long made 23 senior appearances for Wigan after coming through the ranks at the DW Stadium.
McSheffrey says the tall defender quickly showed he was very keen to join Rovers after meeting with club representatives for the first time.
“It shows again that we’ve done our due diligence,” he said. “We’ve met the player and done it the right way, going in through the front door. I rang the manager and the chief executive there and we had permission to meet the player.
“And once he’s come through our door he doesn’t want to leave.
“That’s the good thing about it. We feel we’re going the extra yard and making people really want to come to the club.
“We’re doing things right off the pitch.”