Preston have brought in two new faces this summer, with Izzy Brown and Matthew Olosunde both arriving at Deepdale.
They have joined Liam Lindsay and Sepp van den Berg as they returned after successful loan spells, but have had slow starts to pre-season.
They have only appeared in one pre-season friendly each, picking up niggles to keep them out of action.
Olosunde looks more likely to be a regular starter than Brown at this point, and he may have a big dream in mind.
The 23-year-old will not only be looking to impress Frankie McAvoy and the Preston faithful, but also Gregg Berhalter and the United States Soccer Federation.
Olosunde has one cap for the United States having played against Bolivia back in 2018, but hasn’t been capped since.
Olosunde was with Manchester United at the time and may have slipped off the radar with Rotherham United, but has a chance to really kick on again with Preston.
The likes of Eddie Lewis and Eddie Johnson have turned out for North End and the USA, and it’s reasonable to think that Preston offer Olosunde a slightly bigger platform.
Playing regularly for the USA won’t be easy for Olosunde. Berhalter has a host of right back options at his disposal already, including Barcelona ace Sergino Dest.
The former Ajax star cost £19million last summer and looks to be USA’s right back for years to come, meaning Olosunde faces a daunting task in attempting to get into the squad and usurp him.
Add in that Galatasaray ace DeAndre Yedlin and Boavista’s Reggie Cannon are also in contention and Olosunde will really have to stand out to make a push for international recognition again.
The long flights wouldn’t be ideal, but Olosunde having such a big goal can only help Preston in terms of his performance levels, and seeing him challenge a Barcelona player on the international stage would be quite the achievement.