Preston North End are going into the opening weekend of the season with almost an entirely clean bill of health, boss Ryan Lowe has revealed.
North End face newly-promoted side Wigan Athletic away from home in their Championship opener on Saturday afternoon.
Speaking to media ahead of the tie, Lowe confirmed that his side were missing just one player.
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“Sean Maguire is the only one who’s missing, he’s probably going to be unavailable until the middle of August.” Lowe explained to the media, via Preston North End on Twitter.
“He’s a bit ahead of schedule.
“The medical team have done well with him and he’s running back on the grass now.”
With the above information, we are left to assume that we could see a lot of the new faces that North End have brought into the club this summer.
Freddie Woodman has been brought in from Newcastle United to replace Daniel Iversen after he returned to his parent club Leicester, meanwhile, the likes of Ben Woodburn and Robbie Brady have arrived on free transfers.
Ryan Lowe has also made use of the ‘top six’ clubs young talent, bringing in loanees from Manchester United and Tottenham Hotspur in Alvaro Fernandez and Troy Parrott respectively.
Quiz: Can you identify the 10 fake Preston North End facts?
PNE WERE FOUNDED IN 1880
REAL FAKE
The Verdict
This is positive news for Preston North End.
The last thing you want going into a new season is a load of injuries, and an almost clean bill of health is a boost in that sense, with Maguire not too far off, either.
Preston are certainly going to be an interesting side to keep an eye on this season.
With Ryan Lowe in charge from the start this time around, it will certainly be interesting to see if North End can improve on their 13th-placed finish this upcoming season.
The club surely have ambitions and the potential to break into the top half and push for a play-off position.
