‘Great for me’ - Ryan Lowe trait impressing Preston North End summer signing

Preston North End summer arrival Will Keane has praised manager Ryan Lowe after a positive start to life back at Deepdale.

Keane swapped Wigan Athletic for North End in the summer transfer window, joining on a free transfer. He put pen-to-paper on a two-year deal and rejoined the club he once had a loan spell at in 2015. The 30-year-old has had an ideal start with the Lilywhites, scoring four goals and providing two assists in nine league games.

He has been the focal point of the team when fit and during Preston’s early season form, the number seven was at the heart of their success. A move across to Deepdale has allowed Keane to work with Lowe for the first time - and the way PNE’s boss deals with his players has particularly impressed the Ireland interntional.

“The main thing that stands out from the manager is his man-management, the way he communicates with the players,” said Keane. “He’s got that balance where he’s approachable, you can have conversations with him and his door is always open. Him and his staff’s messages are very clear, the lads know exactly what is expected - but first and foremost, you need to be putting in a shift for the team and if the team are doing that, then tactically we’re set up to know what we need to do in and out of possession.”

During Lowe’s playing career he was a centre forward and had a respectable career in the Football League - playing for the likes of Shrewsbury Town, Chester City, Bury, Sheffield Wednesday and Tranmere Rovers. Keane came from the illustrious Manchester United academy and won awards during his time at Old Trafford. Preston’s manager is still teaching him new things though and helping shape Keane’s game at the age of 30.

Keane added: “He’s been great for me personally, so when you have the backing and belief of the manager it gives you confidence to perform on the pitch. I know that the manager used to be a striker, so having those little bits of advice from his personal experiences, in and around the box, certain runs to make, positionally where to be to try and sniff out opportunities are some of things that we’ve spoken about in training. Those little tips that are in the back of your head, and I know he had a long career, scoring a lot of goals, which is something that I want to take on board.”