Out of contract Preston North End players causing Ryan Lowe no problems as end of their deals looms

North End have half a dozen players with just a few months left on their current deals, those being Daniel Johnson, Greg Cunningham, Ben Woodburn, Robbie Brady, Josh Onomah and Matthew Olosunde.

The latter is the only one who has not regularly been involved with the first team, in fact he has been available for transfer since last summer but has had no suitors.

The others have all played key roles for the club in different moments this season, with the likes of Johnson and Cunningham long time servants for PNE.

The Jamaican made it to 300 appearances for the Lilywhites this season and is the vice captain at the club, with Cunningham having previously professed his love for his home away from his native Ireland.

Brady and Woodburn are coming to the end of their first season at Deepdale, the club holding an option to extend the latter’s deal should they wish. Onomah joined PNE at the end of the January transfer window and though he joined having played few minutes this campaign, they have got him up to fitness and he’s begun to shine in the middle of Lowe’s midfield.

Although there might be growing anxiety from some supporters on the future of some of Preston’s stars, and where that could leave them going into next season, Lowe insists the focus has been on games, rather than contracts for all involved.

He said: “The lads have been top drawer, good as gold. I've had a conversation with one or two of them, of course, and no one is banging on my door saying I'm not playing unless I get a new deal.

"I think the outside world looks at it and thinks 'his contract is up, we want to keep him' and they panic. But we're not panicking, we know what we want, we know what we've got in the building. Look, we could offer all players a contract and they might turn around and say no, it's irrelevant then.

"The lads have been good as gold, we haven't spoken about new contracts, they've just got their heads down and they'll just continue to work and try to win games of football while they're contracted to the football club. Everything else will take care of itself.”