Preston North End keeper Declan Rudd’s personal sacrifice is small price to pay

Rudd moved the family home back to Norfolk last month, the house move going through just before lockdown rules were enforced.

A desire for his wife Sophie to be closer to her parents was the driving force behind the decision and was a reason that Rudd accepting PNE’s offer of a new contract took a long while.

The keeper will be back in Preston when training resumes, which is pencilled in for May 16.

Then it will be a case of getting back to Norfolk when he can if the season gets back under way.

The extra motorway miles are something Rudd regards as a ‘small sacrifice’ to make in what, in the grand scheme of things, is a short career.

He signed a new three-year contract recently, ending speculation over his future at Deepdale.

His previous deal would have ended in the summer.

Rudd told the Lancashire Post: “It is a short career and I will put everything into my time at this club.

“I will get back to the family when I can once we start up again. It is a small sacrifice to make to be part of something I really enjoy being part of.”

For now, Rudd is sitting tight in his new home waiting for football’s return.

Like his team-mates, he has a fitness programme to work through.

It has been a case of ticking over for the last few weeks, keeping a good level of fitness and sharpness.

An element of rest has also been built into the programme, especially for the regulars like Rudd.

He has started all of North End’s 37 league games this season, so a bit of downtime will not have done any harm.

The intensity of the home programmes will start to pick up again over the coming weeks as the May 16 target date for training draws nearer.

Whether that is possible will depend on the Government lifting certain lockdown restrictions.

However, it is a date which the EFL suggested as one to work towards if games could resume in June.

In the Premier League, Arsenal intend opening their Colney training ground this week to allow players to do individual running sessions.

Players will travel in alone, the buildings will not be open and social distancing rules will apply.