Preston North End legend survives Steven Schumacher cull at Stoke City

Preston North End legend Paul Gallagher is to remain at Stoke City following Steven Schumacher's appointment. The Potters announced that the Plymouth Argyle boss would be taking the reigns, and the 39-year-old has already assembled his backroom staff with Gallagher kept in mind.

Gallagher, who made 313 appearances for North End across three separate spells, was placed in caretaker charge following the sacking of Alex Neil. He oversaw the draws against Swansea City and West Brom, and despite Schumacher's desire to work with his own staff, he has opted to keep Gallgher on board. The 39-year-old will work as first-team coach, and is joined by Mark Hughes, Peter Cavanagh and Darren Behcet at the bet365 Stadium.

Goalkeeping coach Jonathan Gould, who played for the Lilywhites from 2003 to 2005, and returned to PNE in 2019 to work under Alex Neil, has left as part of the backroom staff changes. Charlie Ager, who worked under Neil as an analyst, has also departed the Staffordshire club.

A statement from Stoke City read: "“We are hugely thankful to Paul Gallagher for fulfilling the role of Caretaker Manager – together with his support team of Jonathan Gould, Alex Morris and Ryan Shawcross – during our previous two fixtures.

“Paul remains a key part of our setup as a First Team Coach moving forward, while Alex and Ryan have returned to their positions with our Under 21s.

“Jonathan, together with Lead Analyst Charlie Ager, have left the Club with our sincere thanks for their efforts in their respective roles.”

Gallagher has been coaching since May 2021 following his retirement, and was assistant coach to Frankie McAvoy, before linking up with Alex Neil. The Scotland international will return to Deepdale on March 9 when Preston North End next play Stoke City after beating them 2-0 in September.