The wing-back positions at Preston North End have been a contentious issue ever since the arrival of Ryan Lowe. When he arrived he said he would bring his ‘brand’ with him, and that was heavily centred around his use of wing-backs.
It was a formation that Frankie McAvoy had previously adopted but to little avail. Ultimately we have had very few natural options in those positions, but every man and his dog has tried to play there.
Tom Barkhuizen and Scott Sinclair were early experiments that didn’t pay off. Matthew Olosunde was barely ever given a chance.
Alan Browne and Ali McCann are not wing-backs despite what Ryan Lowe says. Robbie Brady can do a job there but has zero pace which can make him vulnerable.
Loan players have come and gone in an attempt to plug that gap, and Alvaro Fernandez was probably the best fit we had down the left hand side, capable of attacking and defending well. Liam Millar is one of the most creative and skilful players we have seen for some time, but he would be better off playing as a natural winger.
He shouldn’t need to defend as often as he does, he needs to be occupying the other end of the field, and he’s probably frustrated with his role in the team at times.
Calvin Ramsay only managed one start for the club on loan from Liverpool this season, before being recalled and send back out on loan to Bolton Wanderers.
Kian Best has shown promise on the left but has been in and out of the team this season.
Brad Potts arrived at Preston as a midfielder but has reinvented himself as a right-wing-back and is probably the first name on the team sheet these days. Not just due to his consistent displays but because he has no one else in the squad seriously pushing him.
Ramsay was meant to provide that competition, but injuries, and Covid hindered his progress. Lowe stated a replacement for Ramsay would not be sought after, which leaves you looking to the younger players.
Josh Seary made his professional debut in the Carabao Cup tie against Salford City at the start of the season. The 19-year-old has been on the bench just two times since then, with Lowe preferring to have an abundance of left-sided options in the matchday squad instead.
At times Kian Best, Greg Cunningham and Robbie Brady have all been named on the bench, all capable of playing on the left, but no options for the right.
Potts has played 28 league games this season, only missing one match when he was suspended, and in came Ramsay. The 29-year-old will regularly play the full 90 minutes and in recent weeks has tired quickly in games.
He needs a rest, and in Seary we have someone who will know the system well having been in and around the first-team picture this season. Seary enjoyed a loan spell at Warrington Town last season, and whilst Lowe has said he hoped to see him have a spell in League Two it makes sense for him to at least be an option on the bench now.
We can’t expect Potts to run up and down that wing relentlessly game after game. With this season fizzling out, and with not much to play for, there would be no harm in involving him a bit more than we have seen so far.