STARLET John O’Sullivan has thanked departing hero David Dunn for helping him force his way into the Blackburn Rovers first-team picture.

O’Sullivan will start the new season as a fully fledged member of Gary Bowyer’s senior squad after making his full Rovers debut at the back end of the season.

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The 21-year-old attacking midfielder credits his impressive loan spells at Southport, Accrington Stanley and Barnsley as major reasons for his development into a potential Championship player.

But O’Sullivan is also full of praise for the role fellow Academy graduate Dunn played before he left his beloved Rovers to a hero’s reception on the final day of the 2014-15 Championship campaign.

“Dunny, for me personally, has been brilliant,” said O’Sullivan.

“He has put a lot of time and effort into me.

“He has worked one-on-one with me, came and watched me loads of times at Accrington, and even in his final days at the club, he was pulling me aside in training to help me improve and give me pointers.

“He didn’t have to do that but that’s the type of guy he is.

“If you’re a young lad, and if he thinks you’re a good player, then he wants to help you get to where he is.

“That’s where I want to be – in 10-15 years time coming off at Ewood to the reception he received.

“He’s had a phenomenal career and he’s the best player I’ve played with or seen.”

Another big influence on the Republic of Ireland U21s international’s burgeoning career has been Stanley boss John Coleman.

When Coleman was in charge of Southport he signed O’Sullivan after the youngster recovered from an injury that ruled him out for the best part of six months.

And, after Coleman got the Stanley job in September, he made the Dubliner his first capture on arriving back at the Crown Ground.

“Stanley was great for me,” said O’Sullivan, who scored four goals in 13 appearances for the League Two outfit before he made the step up to League One with Barnsley.

“It was Coley who brought me to Southport and then on his first day in the Stanley job he brought me there.

“It was hard for me after I got injured because I’d lost a bit of confidence.

“But Coley taught me to express myself and that got me my move to Barnsley, which was a great experience for me.

“It’s a big club, probably a bit too big for League One, with great fans, and I really loved it there.

“But now I’m back at Blackburn and I’m really looking forward to next season and kicking on.”

O’Sullivan signed a new 18-month contract with Rovers in January, tying him to the club until the summer of 2016, after they rejected a bid by Barnsley, believed to be in the region of £250,000, to sign him permanently.