Nelsen re-signs with Rovers

Blackburn Rovers captain Ryan Nelsen has signed a two-year contract extension with the English Premier League club.

At 32, the move could keep the New Zealand international at Blackburn for the rest of his career, and it comes a day after manager Steve Kean signed a new deal that will keep him at Ewood Park until the end of the 2012-13 season.

Nelsen was a vocal critic of the decision by the club’s new owners, Indian firm Venky’s, to sack former boss Sam Allardyce, but he has now thrown his weight firmly behind Kean.

“It is a real positive that we are heading in the right direction,” Nelsen told Sky Sports News.

The central defender joined Blackburn in 2005 from American club DC United and has made 164 appearances for Rovers, scoring eight goals.