New Blackburn boss Paul Ince will give veteran striker Robbie Fowler "a few weeks" to prove he can still play in the Premier League.

And Ince has defied the critics who have doubted that Fowler can still perform at the top level, insisting: "You never lose your ability, and Robbie has been scoring goals for years and years."

Fowler, 33, had an injury-wrecked season at Cardiff last term and failed in a late bid to be fit for the FA Cup final.

Now he will bid to prove himself at Blackburn's German training camp over the next fortnight. The squad fly out on Wednesday.

Despite being offered new terms by Cardiff, Fowler has grabbed an opportunity to return to the big time offered him by his former Liverpool team-mate.

Ince said: "It is a case of Robbie getting his fitness. He picked up a little injury in training on Monday so he did not play at Macclesfield in our friendly that evening, which disappointed him.

"But we will take him to Germany and give him two or three weeks and have a look at him.

"We want to see his sharpness. But he still has what it takes, you never lose your natural ability.

"He has plenty of that, he has scored goals all his life. It is like riding a bike, you never forget.

"Even in the last few years, his goals per game ratio has been fantastic. So I will have a look at him, assess his fitness and we will go from there.

"We have made no commitment on Robbie as far as I am concerned, he has the chance to come here to show what he can do. Then I will assess the situation."

Ince admits that he is finding management at this level "very different" from Macclesfield and MK Dons, but is loving every minute of it.

He made his debut as a Premier League boss with a 2-1 win at Macclesfield, the club who gave him his first break into management a mere 20 months ago.

Ince said: "I was pleased with the run-out at Macclesfield, we played some good football at times and we have got plenty to work on.

"It is completely different being a manager in the Premier League, but for me it is great to be back in the top division. It was also good to return to Macclesfield, they gave me my first chance as a manager and I owe them a lot.

"Let's hope Blackburn have been able to put some money in their pocket from the friendly and they will get promotion next season."

He added: "For me it is a different level, and I have to come to terms with different things. But if you want a shot at this level that is what you have to handle.

"I played in the Premier League and I wanted to manage here, and I am enjoying it."

Ince has added former Arsenal star Nigel Winterburn to his coaching staff, on a part-time basis.

Ince said: "Nigel has come in to help on the defensive side. Plenty of clubs have defensive coaches, and why not? Tony Adams is doing a great job at Portsmouth and he was part of the same fantastic Arsenal defence that Nigel was in.

"We will see how it goes. Nigel is keen to try it, it is not a full-time thing but we will be able to work on certain aspects of the game with him."

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