'Lads are aware' - Preston North End players in their final year sent contract message by Ryan Lowe

Preston North End manager Ryan Lowe says contracts will need to be earned by the rest of those players in their final year.

In total, eight North End players see their deals expire in the summer. Of those, club captain Alan Browne has a new offer on the table while youngsters Josh Seary and Noah Mawene have also had fresh terms put to them. This season, Ben Whiteman, Brad Potts, Andrew Hughes, Dai Cornell and James Pradic have all signed on the dotted line.

It leaves senior quartet Ched Evans, Patrick Bauer, Greg Cunningham and Ben Woodburn in their final few months - along with young midfielder Lewis Leigh, who is currently out on loan at Crewe Alexandra. In his latest press conference, Lowe was asked for his stance and if any other players have been offered new contracts.

"I haven't even got that far with the rest," said Lowe. "Again, I think it's a case of Ched has obviously come back from a serious injury - and has then picked up a niggling injury. Greg hasn't played as many games as he would've liked. So, you've got to earn your contract - that is for all the lads who are not in the team at the moment. Woody is the same. The young lads are a little bit different, because they've earned it in a different way and they are the future.

"We've got some value in them. Then, obviously Browney is your captain - who has been playing week-in-week-out and doing well. There is timing with contract offers and in my eyes, you have to earn a contract. The lads are aware of that. But yeah, Browney and the two young lads, I think we'll get done as soon as and the rest have obviously got to go and earn them."

On the situation with Browne, Lowe added: "I am relaxed. I think Al is relaxed to be fair and Peter is relaxed. We know where we are at with it. We were relaxed with Ben Whiteman's contract and I am relaxed with this one. There is not much more we can do, or say. I just think things happen for a reason and what will be will be.

"I read a quote from Al, saying that this is his football club and he has been here for a while, so I think that tells it's own story in some ways. We are relaxed; we just want to worry about football more than anything else. He is contracted to us until the end of the season, we've got 16 games left and he is going to play a big part in that. Then it will be over to Alan and the football club to decide what they want to do. As the manager, I'm relaxed."