No 'striking similarity' between Emil Riis and ex-Deepdale hero Jordan Hugill says Preston North End boss

It was in January 2018 that Hugill made his departure from Deepdale, joining West Ham for £9.5m.

Yet still he was a regular topic of conversation among North End fans due to the fact the club had struggled to replace him.

Since he left PNE, Hugill has worn the colours of four clubs – the Hammers, Middlesbrough (loan), QPR (loan) and now Norwich.

Hugill and Riis have been likened due to the presence they offer up front.

Both hold the ball up and but Riis’ movement and ability to turn is what has caught the eye.

PNE boss Neil said: “I think they are totally different players.

“Jordan was a link player, you played the ball up to him and get players around him.

“The big fella (Riis) is a link but what he can also do is turn and blow people away in terms of his pace.

“In my opinion Emil is very different to Jordan, a player who did ever so well for us.”

Riis had been a big hit with North End supporters and his team-mates alike in his first month at Deepdale.

Signed from Randers FC in Denmark for £1.2m, he was much-needed new blood, the one signing of the summer/autumn window.

In fact Riis was only the second signing of the year following on from the capture of Scott Sinclair in January.

Meanwhile, Neil says he is keeping a closer watch than ever on players’ fitness and fatigue levels this season.

The later start means a compacted fixture list, with seven games between the last international break and the next one early next month.

Once they return after the November break, there are midweek games all the way through to Christmas.

Neil said: “The next game is always the most important but it would be negligent not to pay attention to what is coming up afterwards.

“Sometimes you have to freshen things up.

“No player is going to put their hand up and say they are a bit tired but you can see the signs.

“We do a lot of testing in terms of running, their jumps, how they have slept, how much fluid they’ve been taking in. They get tested on a lot of things and we get a lot of feedback from that.”

Thanks for reading. If you value what we do and are able to support us, a digital subscription is just £1 per month for the first two months. Try us today by clicking here