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PNE’s retained list saw five first-team players released, together with three of their second-year scholars.

From the senior pool, Josh Ginnelly, Louis Moult, Billy Bodin David Nugent and Graham Burke were let go ahead of their contracts ending in June.

Ginnelly, Nugent and Burke had been away on loan – Nugent’s season still going on with Tranmere in the League Two play-offs, so too Burke in the League of Ireland at Shamrock Rovers.

Louis Moult and Josh Ginnelly have been released by Preston North End

A knee injury meant Moult had not played in the first team since August 2019, injuries also restricting Bodin’s game time in 2020/21.

Bodin was the only one of the five to play for North End this season, starting once in the league and coming off the bench three times.

The winger also started the Carabao Cup clash with Brighton in September.

Bodin, 29, has clubs interested in him and just needs a run of football to get him going again.

Billy Bodin after scoring a superb goal for PNE against West Ham at Deepdale

In three-and-a-half years at Deepdale he started 26 games and made 14 substitute appearances, scoring four goals. Two further goals Bodin netted in pre-season friendlies were probably among his highlights.

In July 2018 he scored a superb goal against West Ham, doing likewise when Southampton played at Deepdale a year later.

Moult was back training with Preston in early March after recovering from a ruptured anterior cruciate ligament in his left knee.

There is interest in him, his former club Motherwell linked last week.

It was the Scottish club where Moult really found his feet in the game and to whom PNE paid £450,000 for him in January 2018.

Ginnelly spent last season on loan in Scotland with Hearts but injury restricted him to 10 appearances.

The Tynecastle outfit, who have been promoted back to the Scottish Premiership, are keen to sign the winger.

There is believed to be interest in Ginnelly from a League Two club too.

Nugent, 36, will be in the Tranmere squad for their play-off semi-final against Morecambe.

Burke has a pre-contract agreement in place with Shamrock after being on loan there since July 2019.

That contract will trigger when his PNE deal ends in the summer.

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What next for the five players Preston North End have released?