PNE's loan arranger

The PNE boss has enjoyed working with the five – Eoin Doyle, Anders Lindegaard, Marnick Vermijl, Adam Reach and Callum Robinson.

While some have been more successful than others and played bigger parts this season, Grayson has seen positives in all of them.

Plans are being put in place for next term in the knowledge that the emergency loan window has been scrapped for Football League clubs.

Loans can still be done but must run between the two FIFA transfer windows.

Speaking at a fans’ forum in Leyland, Grayson said: “When we go into the loan market, we always make sure we are getting the right type of player.

“The lads we have got on loan this season have been the right types and I have really enjoyed working with them.

“Three of them have been here for most or all of the season, Callum was here before and Anders came in January.

“What we have to remember is that at the moment, these five lads are contracted to other clubs.

“Anything that happens in the summer would be dictated by them.

“If it was down to me, I would probably keep all of them.

“In the summer we will have a budget and it is up to us to spend that money wisely by searching for the right players.

“Looking at the loan lads, we know a lot about Callum from last season and this. Anders has shown his experience and calmness, I have a lot of time for him.

“He hadn’t played a lot of football in the last four or five years and will only get better with the more games he plays.

“Marnick has done very well – he has got back into the team recently.

“I like a lot of what Eoin Doyle does, he has not got the goals we would have hoped him to get but you could say that about all the strikers.

“Adam Reach has been very good, he is versatile and has come from a good club.

“Next season things will change with loan players because there is no emergency window.

“You can still do loans for a full season, from August to January or from January to the end of the season.

“Our loans have tended to be longer-term ones anyway.

“Adam Reach started off as an emergency one and then we made it a standard loan.

“Apart from that, the only time we used the emergency market was to bring in Paddy McCarthy, who got injured a few minutes into his debut.”

Grayson’s name has been in the betting for the managerial vacancy at Aston Villa, as he is a former Villa player, persuading some people to have a punt on him.

Nigel Pearson, Sean Dyche, David Moyes and Steve Bruce are among others being linked as Remi Garde’s successor as the West Midlands club brace themselves for relegation to the Championship.