The tenacious full-back signed a new three-year deal at Preston this week to take him beyond his 35th birthday.

And manager Alan Irvine has told the Evening Post: "I'm confident that, barring some unfortunate injury, Callum can play to that kind of age and later.

"I have had the pleasure of working with David Weir and Alan Stubbs and I have seen what they are capable of doing.

"Callum is in the same mould. He is someone who approaches the game in the same way as they do."

Weir celebrates his 38th birthday today and is still playing in the
Scottish Premier League – although he will be out of contract once the season ends.

Stubbs, 36, has been turning out in the Premier League with Derby and is expected to be kept on when they drop down to the Championship.

Davidson, 32 next month, is the oldest member of the PNE squad and his career has been punctuated by injuries.

Yet only keeper Andrew Lonergan started more games for the first team this season.

Irvine described the Scotland international as 'a leader' and 'the perfect role model for young players' after signing him up until the summer of 2011.

Leader

He said: "It is brilliant news for us and for him.

"Callum has been fantastic since the day I walked in the door absolutely terrific.

"Everyone has seen his performances in games. He has played right-back, centre-midfield and, where he would probably chose to play the most – left-back.

"And he has been really good for us in all those positions.

"He has also been the one who has solved our penalty problem.

"He stood up there and took the responsibility, which shows the type of character he has got.

"But what people don't see is what he is like every day on the training ground.

"He is so enthusiastic, he goes about his work in the perfect way every day. He turns up in exactly the same way day in day out.

"In the dressing room he is a leader. He is terrific and he is someone who has bought into everything from day one.

"So I can't speak highly enough about him.

"We exercised the option that we had for another year back in December. But I felt he deserved more than that.

"I spoke to the chairman about it and he was happy to do it as well."

The contract will take Davidson to 35 and Irvine is convinced he could go on beyond that.

He said: "I think he can do that. I think he knows how to manage his body. He looks after himself really well.

Injury

"He has obviously had his injury problems over the years, but hopefully they are behind him now.

"He has played more games this season than he has played for a long time.

"He knows exactly how to get the best out of himself.

"You do learn to manage your body as you get older and how you need to look after yourself.

"You prepare properly for everything, you recover properly, you eat and sleep properly.

"You do all the things that you maybe take for granted when you are a younger player.

"So I am really confident he can go on to 35 and the rest.
"I don't feel it is a gamble giving him three years at the age of almost 32. He can do it."

>> Irvine plans busy pre-season programme

>> New three-year deal for Davidson