PNE have signed one and loaned two out in the January transfer window so far

Preston North End manager Paul Heckingbottom says the club are trying to get Kian Best out on loan.

The teenager has been limited to two substitute appearances in the Carabao Cup since Heckingbottom was appointed as boss in late August. Best broke on to the first team scene last season, straight out of the academy, and played 13 matches in total.

He earned a call up to the England Under-19 squad and speculation with Fulham and Al-Ettifaq followed but Best - who is out of contract in the summer - stayed put at his hometown club. He hasn’t been able to get back in the first team fold yet and Heckingbottom feels a loan move is needed this month.

“Yean, Kian needs game time,” said Heckingbottom. “I’ve spoken with Kian about that. Kian needs minutes, loans. Yeah, there's opportunities for two or three players to go out and get game time. Plus, a couple of younger boys as well.

“And yeah, because we need that. We need income. We need income if we can get that. But likewise, when we speak about Layton (Stewart) and Jeppe (Okkels) as well, they need the game time and we need them to be playing.”

PNE’s one piece of January business so far has been the signing of Lewis Gibson from Plymouth Argyle, on a three-year deal. North End paid a reported £1.5m plus for the centre-back - Heckingbottom sees Gibson as a strong piece of permanent business for the club. For the remainder of the window, though, he is open to utilising the loan market and bringing in players who can have a big impact for the second half of the campaign.

“Yeah, loans,” said Heckingbottom. “Listen, if opportunities come up... like Lewis presented itself and it's great for now and for the summer. But January is not traditionally a good time to be doing business like that. We've done well to get that and we're working really hard to get more.

“But what you don't want to be doing is making a signing that's not necessarily going to improve you going forward. So yes, if that's the case, then it's short-term until we get the ones in that benefit us going forward.”