Preston reserves played out a 0-0 draw with Fleetwood Town on Tuesday afternoon and there was no sign of defender Bambo Diaby.
The Central League took centre stage this afternoon with a North End XI taking on Fleetwood at Euxton.
Josh Murphy played for more than an hour as he makes his return from injury, but neither side were able to find a winner in a 0-0 stalemate.
Matthew Olosunde and Paul Huntington featured in the North End side, but Diaby was notable by his absence.
Ryan Lowe had indicated that Diaby, who made his Preston debut as a substitute against Coventry City on Saturday, would be playing in this Central League clash.
In reality though, Diaby not only wasn’t in the starting XI but also wasn’t even on the bench.
That begs the question – why was Diaby not included in the Preston side?
The first fear will be an injury for Diaby, who spent two years out of the game with a ban for doping.
Preston haven’t confirmed any kind of injury blow though, so it’s likely something else is going on.
If you look at Preston’s centre back options, Patrick Bauer is injured and Liam Lindsay will be suspended against Bournemouth this weekend after a red card against Coventry.
It may well be that Preston end up needing Diaby to start in that game, most likely in the middle of Lowe’s back three.
Even if Bauer manages to be fit, Diaby would be needed as the main defensive cover, so risking an injury against Fleetwood was just too big of a gamble.
We will soon see what Diaby’s situation is, but don’t be surprised if he has to start against Bournemouth this weekend – a real baptism of fire for his first Preston start.