Preston’s summer transfer window ended up feeling wholly incomplete, but one area we can’t complain about is left wing back.
North End came up short in their quest for eight summer signings, landing only six of the additions Ryan Lowe ideally wanted.
Wing backs were paramount; North End put their faith in Lowe, a manager almost exclusively committed to 3-5-2 variations.
Put simply, Preston didn’t have the wing backs on either side to really play as Lowe wanted.
No additions on the right side feels ridiculous and leaves North End short of the quality needed to kick on.
On the left side, Preston had almost nothing.
Greg Cunningham isn’t really a left wing back at this stage in his career and Josh Earl struggled there before heading to Fleetwood Town.
Playing Daniel Johnson and Ali McCann there just wasn’t going to cut it, so Preston went out and signed two players to bolster Lowe’s squad.
Free agent Robbie Brady penned a one-year deal before Alvaro Fernandez came in on loan from Manchester United.
This isn’t a long-term fix by any means; as things stand, North End will be without both players for next season, leaving that left-wing back spot as a major problem again.
For now though, a major weakness has become something of a strength for Preston.
Brady’s quality on the ball is outstanding whilst Fernandez has the drive and pace and Preston lack in the final third.
The problem for Lowe is that he has to leave one of them out at the moment.
Fernandez came in for Brady against Sheffield United before the international break and Lowe faces a big call on who to play against Sunderland next weekend.
Is there a way to get both into the side though?
Using The Athletic’s ‘player roles’, Brady is a ‘Progressor’ who will impact the game with progressive passing, crossing and distribution, whilst Fernandez is more of an ‘Overlapper’, running at defenders and making runs off the ball to create chances.
Their very different roles leaves us to wonder whether there is a way for both players to start.
Lowe has dabbled with a 3-4-2-1 system this season and that could open up the potential for Brady as a left wing back and Fernandez slightly further forward.
Brady has previously played as a winger so the pair may well be able to dovetail together up the left side with some clever rotations.
Brady’s ability to deliver from deep areas combined with Fernandez’s natural desire to run and attack defenders could provide North End with some final-third creativity.
That would also allow Troy Parrott to move from playing as a central striker to playing on the right side, where he enjoyed success with MK Dons last season.
Ali McCann and Ben Whiteman would then play as the midfield two having shown promise with that partnership in parts under Frankie McAvoy last season.
Landing Brady and Fernandez were real coups for North End, but we’re now approaching the point where Lowe may need to think about how to get them both into the same team – and pushing one forward may be the best way.