'Little issue there' - Preston North End star dealt injury setback as Norwich City chances assessed

Preston North End midfielder Brad Potts missed Saturday’s 1-0 win over Coventry City through injury.

The Lilywhites picked up three big points at home, with Emil Riis’ 72nd minute header clinching the victory for Paul Heckingbottom’s side. PNE’s boss was forced into two changes on the day, with captain Ben Whiteman suspended.

In came Stefan Thordarson and skipper for the day, Ryan Ledson. The absences of Whiteman, Will Keane, Ched Evans and Patrick Bauer were all known, but Potts’ omission was a surprise one. The number 44 saw an issue, from the draw at Burnley, flare up in training.

Post-match, Heckingbottom said: “He’d been fine and had been training. I don’t know if you remember at Burnley - when he had that shot and the lad came with a high foot. Pottsy had the shot, but he had been fine. The last couple of days, it got worse and worse. So, we have sent him for a scan. There is a little issue there. He wanted to train, but it’s one of those.

“Because we had Steffy and Kaine, fit and available, and we’ve got all these games coming up - I know and we know as a medical team, the more days we can give him the better it is going to be. I know we are going to need him in these upcoming games, so that was my ball. Whether we see him Tuesday, we will have to wait and see.”

When asked about Potts’ role in the team moving forward, the manager added: “He can play either (midfield or full-back). We have got players who can play in different positions and we want the competition. I certainly want the options from the bench.

“I looked at what Mark could bring on from the bench today and yeah, they had some good weapons. We would love to get to that point. At the minute, we have got four missing through different reasons - but if everyone is fit we have got that as well.”