Ince delighted to finally ‘put Santa Cruz rubbish’ to bed

BLACKBURN boss Paul Ince was delighted to “put to bed” all the “rubbish” concerning Roque Santa Cruz after the striker signed a new four-year contract at Ewood Park.

Santa Cruz, 27, ended weeks of speculation over his future by putting pen to paper on a new deal, ending interest from the likes of Manchester United, Arsenal, Tottenham and Manchester City, who had a reported £12million bid rejected earlier in the week.

Rovers only signed the injury-plagued Paraguay international from Bayern Munich last summer for around £3.5m despite a history of serious knee problems, but the gamble paid off as Santa Cruz played 36 of 38 Premier League games and scored 23 goals in all competitions.