'I could see he wasn't' - Why influential Preston North End man was absent in Stoke City draw
PNE were without their number ten for Tuesday night's trip to Stoke City
Preston North End midfielder Mads Frokjaer was not risked against Stoke City on Tuesday night.
The Lilywhites drew 0-0 at the bet365 Stadium, with Frokjaer absent from the squad along with Liam Lindsay, Robbie Brady, Patrick Bauer and the suspended Ali McCann. PNE’s number ten had featured as a substitute last weekend, in the Derby County clash.
But, post-match Heckingbottom explained that the Dane had sustained a hamstring issue during the international break. That was the reason for him only playing a bit-part against the Rams and North End’s boss didn’t view it as right to play him in midweek.
“Yeah, just... a setback? Ish.” said Heckingbottom. “Listen, he’ll be fine. But, I could tell he wasn’t right. Credit to him, he was desperate to play and he has not had anything like this before.
“Muscle injuries, if you are not 100 per cent they are not going to get better during a game. I could see he wasn’t 100 per cent. But he was adamant, before the game, that he couldn’t feel anything. Now he understands what I am saying.
“If it had been his ankle he rolled, a dead leg, a kick, you can run through them and play if you are comfortable with the pain. He realises now that he was restricted a little bit, when he got on to the pitch. Then, it is an easy one for me to make the call. If he had played today it gets worse, so he wasn’t playing.”