Ryan Lowe believes Preston North End loan signing wants to earn permanent move

Preston North End manager Ryan Lowe has suggested that Liam Millar wants to earn a permanent contract at the club.

Signed on loan from Swiss side FC Basel on transfer deadline day, Millar has started impressively in Preston colours. He scored a fine solo goal on debut against Plymouth Argyle and played a pivotal role in PNE’s opener that day too. Millar then played 90 minutes in the midweek victory over Birmingham City and showed flashes of his quality again.

It is a straight loan deal for the player, who spoke to the Lancashire Post last week of his excitement at being back in England. North End made a conscious effort in the summer transfer window to recruit permanent players and Preston managed to bring in six. There is clearly a view to making Millar one of PNE’s own too, though.

Speaking about his squad this season, Lowe said: “The lads we had last season are all excellent lads, on and off the field. What we did have last season were four loan lads, who were not ours and sometimes four can maybe be too much. At some point, they know they are going back to their parent club and their heart is with them and their head is with us, if you like. But they were all good lads.

“This year, we’ve found the solution to finding our own players. The only two loan lads are obviously Calvin Ramsay and Liam Millar, but Calvin is obviously injured at the moment and Liam - if you asked him now, he’d like to try and make the deal permanent as quickly as he possibly can. He loves it here already and again, that’s something we can look at further down the line.

“But, there is a real camaraderie about the group; knowing that the league is as tough as it ever has been, with the teams coming down. For the lads to stick together through thick and thin - they have had some meetings between themselves, the staff have and it all just comes together as one. At the moment it is going really well and the togetherness of the group is fantastic.”