'Definitely' - The Preston North End connection which could take £1.2m signing to new level

Preston North End manager Ryan Lowe enjoyed watching Emil Riis and Mads Frokjaer in action on Saturday - and now hopes to see them thrive alongside each other.

The Lilywhites ran out 2-0 winners over Bristol City at Deepdale, with PNE's boss having made a triple substitution at half time. Frokjaer and Riis entered the pitch along with Will Keane, who scored both of North End's goals. Alan Browne, Duane Holmes and Milutin Osmajic were the three players who made way.

And, while Keane stole the show with his strikes, the link up play of Danish duo Riis and Frokjaer certainly caught the eye. Given Riis' long term injury, which he has only just returned from, the pair have not had much playing time together since Frokjaer's summer arrival. Saturday's offered Lowe an exciting glimpse, though.

"They are mates, aren't they?" said Lowe. "They weren't until they came here, but the fact is it's like Ryan Ledson and Brad Potts - they are bezzie mates. And they perform when they play together and in training they perform. I am not saying they all aren't mates, but when you've got a connection with someone - I think Mads and Emil have definitely got that relationship. Me and Marshy were talking about it last week, that it'd be nice to see the two of them play together soon. And you can see that, so yeah, long may it continue. We will keep working on getting them in good areas and if they can have that link up, it will be important for us - definitely."

In terms of Riis' workload, the number 19 has now played 70 minutes across three games - since his return from the serious knee injury suffered last January. North End's manager is encouraged by what he is seeing from the 2021/22 top scorer and hopes the best of Riis is not too far away.

"He will be, yeah," said Lowe, when asked if Riis is closing in on a start. "He was supposed to play a game on Tuesday against Salford, but he is not going to play. We were going to play him next week, against Accrington, but he might end up playing for us before he plays in the Central League games for the reserves. We have to make sure he is right, but he came on and was a handful. He had a chance to score, which would've been nice for him - but his strike partner was there and scored two.

"He had a bit of a dip the other week, when his legs were heavy and he just wasn't as sharp. But, I think if you look at him now - fair play to Jacko and the physios and the fitness department. They have got him in good nick and he looks bigger and stronger. Physically, he is holding the ball up a lot more and you cannot get it off him easily. That is all down to the lads and himself, because he's been out for a long time. He is sharp and the quicker we get him up to match speed, the better it will be for us."