Preston North End man to undergo surgery as Ched Evans stance confirmed by Paul Heckingbottom
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Preston North End defender Patrick Bauer is set for a spell on the sidelines as a result of his injury against Fulham, last week.
The German centre-back was handed his first start for PNE, in 13 months. He competed well for an hour against the Premier League side, but took a nasty fall in the second half. Bauer left the pitch in tears and with his arm in a sling.
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Hide AdThe 31-year-old will now be absent for an extended period. Elsewhere on the injury front, Robbie Brady is back available after a minor issue and Will Keane has not suffered any setbacks - having returned to the match day squad last Sunday.
“Yeah, Pat is going to need an operation on his elbow,” said Heckingbottom. “He will be longer - it has gone from weeks to a couple of months. (Brady) was struggling with a calf injury when we got him back and then he went away with Ireland and played a couple of games.
“We brought him on against Boro and he just felt that little thing again, with his calf. So, we left him, but he’s back fit and available now. We’ve got him back involved, which is great. He was probably the only one I have not really been working with, for however many weeks it’s been.
“So, it’s great to have him back on the training pitch. Will (Keane), he probably would’ve come on at half time (against Blackburn), because of the way we were playing and dominating. We needed that ball into that top end and looked after, but the game plan had to totally change on 40 minutes.
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Hide Ad“It became the game against Fulham, with a man down if you know what I mean? The back eight were defending, with our wide players and our nine breaking as quickly as we could - when we won the ball. I thought everyone contributed to that, to be fair. I was really pleased with the players.”
Elsewhere, the situation with Milutin Osmajic - who has been charged by the FA - raises questions over the role of player-coach, Ched Evans. The 35-year-old hasn’t played a game this season and been used entirely in a coaching capacity. But, with him named in North End’s official 24 man squad through to January, Heckingbottom will be considering him for selection once fully fit.
“No, Ched is available as a player,” said Heckingbottom. “We named him in the squad. He picked up a little knee problem, which has been seen to now. So, it’s a case of getting him back fit. We are using him to do work in and around the players and he’s getting a lot of experience, in terms of that next step for when he does finish playing. He’s in our coaching room and he’s got the coaching kit on.
“But, I want him available as a player as well - because you never know. There may be circumstances where we need him, so first and foremost it’s to get him fit. I think it’s a really good position for Ched. We want him fit because we want to use him, but the club have created a good role for him - where he can hopefully manage that crossover into the next step. The worst case is gaining some valuable experience.”
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