Preston boss Ryan Lowe is open minded when it comes to business in the January transfer window

Trading can start from tomorrow but it could take a while for the window to get busy in general due to the current Covid situation.

Lowe will look to do some incoming business if targets become available and he’s open to the idea of some players leaving in the search of first-team football.

At the moment his focus is on working with the squad again after the recent Covid-19 shutdown at PNE.

The majority of the squad reported back to Euxton yesterday after a week’s enforced break.

For those who have had Covid, their training session yesterday was shorter than normal – the first two days have to be a phased return in line with football’s agreed protocol on the virus.

Giving his thoughts on potential business in January, Lowe said: “We are always open to ideas on what players could come.

“We aren’t sitting here saying we are going to spend loads of money in the transfer market.

“If something comes along that tickles us, which we think will help us and is better than what we have got, we will have a look at it.

“Maybe one or two players who haven’t been in the squad or players who haven’t been playing as many games as they would have liked, might want to go out to play some football.

“We have to look at those scenarios. At the moment we have a big enough squad to allow some of the young lads to go out on loan and maybe others who want to play.

“We’ll keep our ears to the ground and if anything pops us, we will try to do something.”

The squad which returned to training yesterday included Tom Barkhuizen and Matthew Olosunde who were both out injured when Lowe arrived earlier in the month.

Whether the Stoke game on Monday comes too soon for them, remains to be seen.

Lowe was just happy to be back working with his players on the pitch having had to manage remotely over the Christmas period.

“It’s been a strange time, we didn’t want games called off but we had to follow the rules,” said Lowe.

“If you haven’t got 14 players you can’t play, as it stands now we will have more than 14 players available.

“Some of the lads had to isolate over Christmas and didn’t get to see their kids and family because of it.

“The main thing is to make sure they are healthy and to stay that way.

“I’m hoping now that as a lot of them have had it, we have a clean bill of health going forward.”

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