Preston North End star to hand Ryan Lowe pre-season boost after frustrating setback

Preston North End will be boosted by the return of Ben Whiteman in pre-season.

The Lilywhites lost the number four in early March, with him suffering ankle ligament damage towards the end of a defeat against Stoke City. Whiteman raced through on goal and shot, but was caught by recovering Potters defender Ben Wilmot.

He hobbled off the pitch and didn’t feature again for the rest of the campaign. Whiteman’s absence was felt in the final 10 games of the season, with defender Jack Whatmough and youngster Noah Mawene called upon to start in midfield on occasions.

But, Whiteman is understood to have recovered from the setback and will be ready to join the rest of the squad for the start of pre-season. North End report back on July 1, before heading over to Spain for a training camp - which Whiteman missed last season.

The 27-year-old signed a new contract back in January, with the length of the deal undisclosed and simply labelled ‘long-term’. He was limited to 30 appearances in the Championship last season, missing the first five fixtures and last ten. The number four scored three goals.

Whiteman was sidelined along with Brad Potts and Ali McCann, towards the end of the season. It appears Potts’ hamstring issues are behind him, with the number 44 being put through the paces out in Dubai. There was hope of McCann returning from his thigh problem last season, so the midfielder should also be fine - having not gone away with Northern Ireland this time.