Preston North End injury fear over key man who left Stoke City clash on crutches

Preston North End are sweating over the injury picked up by Ben Whiteman last weekend.

Towards the end of the eventual defeat to Stoke City, PNE's number four raced through on goal and saw his low effort saved by Daniel Iversen. But, as Whiteman struck the ball with his left foot, Stoke defender Ben Wilmot flew in and caught Preston's midfielder on his left ankle - in an attempt to block the strike.

Whiteman - who signed a new contract at Deepdale in January - was treated by PNE's physio, before hobbling down the tunnel. An update will be provided in the pre-match press conference later this week, but the blow could be worse than initially thought. Manager Ryan Lowe was not too worried, immediately after the 1-2 loss.

PNE's boss told iFollow, post-match: "He walked off the pitch, didn't he? Which was a bonus... he hasn’t come off on a stretcher. He’s in a boot at the moment and on crutches, so we’ll see how that is. Hopefully, he’s just rolled his ankle and the ligaments in there will swell up for a few days and we’ll see how he is."

In the 31 league games Whiteman has been available for, he has started 25, been brought on in four and an unused substitute in two. The number four missed the start of the season due to a hernia operation, but he has been a regular in the side during Ryan Lowe's tenure. Whiteman has started the last 13 Championship games, playing 90 minutes in 11 of them.