Preston North End are anxious to assess Ireland striker Sean Maguire's hamstring injury

The striker pulled up with the problem shortly after coming on as a substitute in the Republic’s friendly with Northern Ireland at the Aviva Stadium on Thursday night.

He had the injury scanned in Dublin yesterday and will be returning to Preston to have it further assessed by North End’s physio Matt Jackson.

While PNE know they will have to do without Maguire’s services for a time, the hope is it will not be a long absence.

The 24-year-old missed four months of last season with damage to a hamstring tendon and was also absent for the first two months of this campaign with a similar injury.

Maguire has pulled out of the Irish squad for Monday’s Nations League group game against Denmark in Aarhus.

His hamstring issues have been a source of frustration to the player – and North End – over the last year or so.

He first pulled up in the 2-2 draw at Fulham last October, the damage being the muscle detaching from the tendon.

It was the second injury of that type to hit PNE in the space of two months, Greg Cunningham having done the same earlier that campaign.

Maguire returned from surgery in March and hit a purple patch of scoring form.

He tailed off towards the end of the season and was to suffer a hamstring niggle in the Republic’s friendly with Celtic in May.

The former Cork City man returned fit and rested in time for pre-season training and was looking sharp until he was injured playing at Oldham in late July.

PNE boss Alex Neil said at the time that Maguire had some historic nerve damage in the hamstring area which prevented him feeling the true extent of an injury.

Elsewhere on the injury front, North End midfielder Ben Pearson has been using the international break to rest and shake-off a thigh strain.

Pearson had been playing with the injury for a few games and the break is a timely one ahead of a busy schedule this month and next.

The Lilywhites also have the loaned-out Tommy Spurr back at Springfields for the time being.

Spurr joined Fleetwood on a season’s loan in July but has been troubled by a hip injury.

He has not played for Town since the end of September and is with North End for the injury to be assessed.

It might be that Spurr needs surgery and, with PNE being his parent club, that is their responsibility.

If treatment does the trick, the defender will be free to go back to Fleetwood.

Spurr is out of contract at the end of the season.