'He's ready' - Updates on Preston North End duo after one not used and one not involved against Coventry City
PNE make the trip down to Oxford United this weekend
Preston North End manager Paul Heckingbottom expects to have Mads Frokjaer back in the squad on Saturday.
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After scoring the winner in PNE’s 3-2 victory at Sheffield Wednesday, the Dane has missed the last two matches with a hamstring issue. It was described as ‘minor’ by the North End boss following last weekend’s draw with Wrexham, but the niggle kept Frokjaer sidelined for the visit of Coventry City on Tuesday.
“He's a little bit apprehensive with it, which is obvious and understandable,” said Heckingbottom. “But, again, if you're looking at what's going to be asked of him if he’d have been on the pitch tonight, 100 per cent the right call for him not to be involved. He will be back for the weekend.”
One positive on the injury front, on Tuesday, was the return of Brad Potts to the match day squad. It was the number 44’s first involvement this campaign, having injured his hamstring in March and suffered a few setbacks across the second half of the year. North End’s boss now has full confidence in putting Potts back on the pitch.
“Well, he's not where he wants to be,” said Heckingbottom. “But he's not on the bench just because I like the lad! Yeah, he's been training long enough now. He's confident. There's a point with the players when they come back, and I saw it with Pottsy on Thursday when we were training.
“You just see all that apprehension disappear and all of a sudden they're just playing. His confidence will come the more training he does, the more minutes he gets on the pitch. But when he's actually playing football, I can see he's not thinking about anything other than playing football. So, he's ready.”