Preston North End star being put through his paces in off season ahead of crucial year
He made the move to PNE on transfer deadline day in February
Callum Lang is putting the work in during the off season ahead of his first pre-season at Preston North End.
Signed for a ‘club record fee’ from Portsmouth on February 2, Lang made five appearances for PNE before suffering a season ending injury.
He had assisted goals against Swansea City and Watford, but was dealt setbacks to his hamstring and ankle in the home draw with Oxford United.
Manager Paul Heckingbottom said Lang would be back before the season finished but he ended up not being risked.
Milutin Osmajic - bought for a reported £2.1million - was the previous club-record buy at Preston, offering a rough idea of the fee paid for Lang.
An important first, full year looms for the ex-Pompey star, with North End having lost their attacking loan talent from last season.
Lang scored 10 Championship goals for Portsmouth in 2024/25 but has endured injury frustration over the last couple of years.
He has now been spotted, via Instagram, training with Liverpool-based coach, Kris Owens. PNE typically return for pre-season on July 1.
McCall backs Lang to shine
Speaking in one of the last press conferences of the 2025/26 season, PNE’s assistant Stuart McCall said he had pushed strongly for the signing of the former Wigan Athletic man.
“There's no doubt about it, Callum Lang will be a really good player for Preston,” said McCall. “He's the right type; he's the right person
“When you haven't got lots of money to throw at it, they're the type of people you want in your club and Callum's certainly one of them.
“I think if Callum had not had the unfortunate occurrence with his injury, he would’ve been a big player for us. No doubt in the next few years, he will be a big player for Preston.”