Sad news has emerged this evening with former Preston defender Conor McLaughlin announcing his retirement due to injury.
McLaughlin was born in Belfast and emerged with Linfield before Preston lured him to England way back in 2007.
A real prospect in the Preston youth setup, the right back made his debut for the club back in 2010.
McLaughlin showed big potential with North End and was serving as a bright spark in a truly dismal season.
In February 2011 though, not long after signing a new contract, McLaughlin suffered a broken leg and never really got back to his best.
Graham Westley transfer-listed McLaughlin in 2012 and he headed off to Fleetwood Town, becoming a solid player there.
A Northern Ireland international, McLaughlin carved out a strong career for himself and moved up to the Championship by joining Millwall in 2017.
Some Preston fans clamoured for McLaughlin to return but it never happened. In 2019, McLaughlin moved on to Sunderland, making 50 appearances before heading back to Fleetwood last summer.
In March, McLaughlin admitted to the Belfast Telegraph that he almost quit football after his time at Preston – but the day has now come.
McLaughlin has taken to Twitter to confirm that he is calling it a day, hanging up his boots on medical advice.
The 30-year-old has admitted that the last 18 months have been really difficult both physically and mentally, hence his decision to retire.
Just weeks after the retirement of Declan Rudd – again due to injuries – another Preston man is now leaving the game.
It would be great to see Preston help both Rudd and McLaughlin with coaching badges if that’s what they want to pursue, and we can only wish them all the best in their next chapters.