Preston have suffered a blow with Manchester United loanee Alvaro Fernandez suffering a setback in his recovery from injury.
North End are gearing up to face Watford this weekend with fans largely encouraged by what they have seen this season.
Sure, Preston have only won once and scored once in the Championship this season, but the brand of football is really coming along and North End surely aren’t far away from giving somebody a pasting.
That could be Watford this weekend, although the Hornets offer a much sterner test than Preston have faced so far this season.
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Watford have suffered relegation from the Premier League and are seeking an immediate return to the top flight.
Preston will hope to conjure up another rousing home display after dominating Rotherham United in midweek, but will have to do it without Alvaro Fernandez.
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The Spaniard was outstanding in the 4-1 Carabao Cup win over Huddersfield Town, recording two assists in a blistering first-half display.
Fernandez didn’t return for the second half though having suffered an injury, and what looked like a knock has kept him out of games against Luton Town and Rotherham.
The hope was that Fernandez would be back to face Watford this weekend but that won’t be the case.
North End boss Ryan Lowe has confirmed that Fernandez has suffered a setback having hurt his ankle, and will only return to action next week at the earliest.
Preston also need to have Manchester United’s permission to get Fernandez back involved, so he will see their physio tomorrow before returning to Euxton.
Lowe admitted that Fernandez is out of Saturday’s game against Watford but will be in contention to face Wolverhampton Wanderers in the Carabao Cup on Tuesday night.
This is a blow for North End, as fans have been desperate to see more of Fernandez in action.
Whilst Robbie Brady is a superb ball progressor up the left flank, he doesn’t quite have the speed and drive to hit the byline like Fernandez.
That would give North End and added dimension but we will now face a little wait to see the United loanee in action again.