Ryan Lowe's stance on ex-Liverpool man as Preston North End transfer plans outlined

Preston North End manager Ryan Lowe plans to keep Layton Stewart in the building, as things stand.

The Lilywhites signed the striker from Liverpool, on a three-year deal, last summer. He made 16 appearances in the Championship, with the campaign his first in senior football. Stewart is now gearing up for his second season at Deepdale and has Will Keane, Emil Riis and Milutin Osmajic for competition in the final third.

Back in January, PNE mulled over sending Stewart out on loan in order to get him game time. But the player wanted to stay and fight for his place, and injury to Ched Evans saw opportunities eventually come his way. Stewart may well have to bide his time again in 2024/25, but for now the Preston boss sees him as part of the first-team plans.

“That was back in January and he did ever so well when he came on to the pitch and played some games,” said Lowe. “Listen, you never say never, depending on what’s out there. But, he is one of our four strikers at the moment. Ched (Evans) has obviously come to the dark side, as people say, and is doing really well in that - learning every day. But, he’s still got something in him if needed. So yeah, I don’t think we are just going to send people out for the sake of it.

“We’ve got to make sure we’ve got a fully fit squad and one which can compete with each other. I feel Layton can do that, but it’s over to him. And it’s over to all of the strikers, really. If they start scoring goals, then it makes my job easier doesn’t it? I can then just pick them. Layton has been great all pre-season - I think it’s one of the first full ones he’s done for a while. If we can get him up to speed, he’s a goal scorer and a threat.”

As for other players, the North End manager has already touched on the likelihood of some heading out on loan. As the Championship season gets under way and PNE get into the swing of things, Lowe expects to see some of the club’s youngsters secure loan moves.

Josh Seary and Kian Taylor were not involved on Tuesday night against Salford, while goalkeeper James Pradic played no part from the bench. Kacper Pasiek, Noah Mawene and Theo Mawene have also featured regularly over pre-season.

“Yeah, later on,” said Lowe. “Listen, we are on with a couple of things. The window doesn’t shut until August 30, so we’ve got a bit of time to finalise potential deals. We don’t want to wait too long, but yeah, once the time is right to let the youngsters go, we will let them go.”