Preston North End starlets sent clear warning by manager Ryan Lowe as he promises departures

Three contract extensions were handed out last week, with Kian Taylor, Kian Best and Kitt Nelson all getting an option of an extra year on their deals activated, keeping them at the club until 2024.

There’s close to a dozen players under the age of 21 coming through the North End academy at the moment, all vying for a chance in the first team squad.

Several already have this season, with Lewis Leigh, Jacob Slater, Kaedyn Kamara, Finlay Cross-Adair and Noah Mawene all making their senior debuts.

But Lowe’s patience for the youngsters to show their worth will only last so long. He’s open to coaching them or sending them out on loan to get experience but explained that he works on a case by case basis, rather than a general rule of thumb for emerging academy starlets.

On the number of players coming through, Lowe said: “We're going to have to nip that in the bud and some are going to have to move on. If you can't sustain that when you're out on loan and you're not performing to the highest levels then where do you stop? Where do you draw the line? You can't just keep giving them opportunities.

"For us, it depends on who it is and where it is. We don't just want to send them out. Jacob Slater hasn't gone anywhere, he's been a part of the first team squad because we felt we had to coach him into our mould. We don't think he needs to go out and play games albeit he could have gone to plenty of places.

“Mikey O'Neill has gone to Grimsby and been a bit part, in and out, we felt he needed to because he'd made his debuts and played a couple of games.

"Fin had made a couple of appearances but he was one that Jamie Milligan rang me and asked a favour because there are no real competitive games for Fin now. We felt if he can have a promotion push with Bamber Bridge it would be nice for him, for us and for them. In terms of the players, it's got to be suited.

"Some might stay in and be coached rather than going out and playing because I think that might be better for them. We'll analyse that in the summer and then James Beet (loans and pathways manager) can get to work in terms of getting them into the right clubs because I feel that's important when they're called upon to go out on loan.”

With a trio of extensions handed out, Lowe is keen to stress that the hard work has only just begun for the aspiring next generation.

The Preston boss wanted to reward the U18s for their impressive FA Youth Cup run, which saw them reach the quarter finals before losing to Southampton on a night that could have ended very differently, and doesn’t want them resting on their laurels.

“We were looking at the lads who signed with extensions because you can't have an FA Youth Cup run and not extend their deals for the way they were and how they played,” he said. “A couple of them have been up with the first team over the last couple of weeks and they've played in the reserve games.

"We know what they're capable of but that's the easy part, giving them the extension. The hard part is sustaining that and for them to be better than what they've been. What we've done of late, the lads who have signed pro contracts and extended deals, they have to perform to the next level and go again.

"There's a couple that have and a couple that haven't. That's fine. But ultimately when you get a pro contract at Preston North End you can't think 'right, I've got a pro contract', you've got to work your socks off and go again, work even harder to sustain it.

"We've given them the contracts because they've deserved it, they've had a fantastic season, but now it's a real game, a men's game. From pre-season those lads have to step up and try to perform and not slide down the ladder like some lads have done. They have to perform on a weekly basis and a daily basis to sustain that.”