Preston may have to be wary of Blackpool talent Sonny Carey on Saturday after he was compared to one of a generation’s top playmakers.
North End head to Bloomfield Road on Saturday afternoon for the first league derby with Blackpool since 2010.
Neil Critchley’s Tangerines have impressed this season and sit three points ahead of North End heading into Saturday’s game.
We’ve already spoken about the threat posed by Jerry Yates, but the striker is far from Blackpool’s only danger in the final third.
Playmaker Sonny Carey joined Blackpool from non-league side King’s Lynn Town over the summer having shone in the National League.
The 20-year-old, formerly of Norwich City, made his first Championship start against Reading in midweek.
Carey played just behind Yates in the Blackpool attack and has been earning rave reviews.
The Blackpool Gazette noted that Carey was Blackpool’s Man of the Match against Reading.
Not only that, but they compared Carey to a ‘prime Riquelme’, comparing him to Boca Juniors legend Juan Roman Riquelme.
That’s very high praise for Carey, and a sign that Preston need to keep very close tabs on him this weekend.
Ben Whiteman played as a lone holding midfielder against Coventry City in midweek, meaning he may be charged with the task of nullifying Carey.
Alan Browne and Daniel Johnson will have to chip in too, with Blackpool looking to Carey and Yates for goals.