And South Africa's record goalscorer reckons the pair could even have done it this season had he not allowed speculation linking him with Chelsea to affect his game.

McCarthy admitted last summer he would have been interested in moving to Stamford Bridge to rejoin Jose Mourinho, the coach under whom he won the 2004 Champions League with Porto.

Those comments came after a fine first season with Rovers in which he had finished as the club's top scorer with 24 goals.

McCarthy has lost that mantle to Santa Cruz after a more indifferent second term but he committed his future to Blackburn by signing a new three-year contract last week and is plotting a glorious future.

The 30-year-old said: "Hopefully, next season, now everything is out of the way - I have pledged my future to the club - we can just all concentrate on just trying to get maybe a Champions League place.

"I think it is very ambitious but it is a chance we have got, we have great players."