Preston North End boss Ryan Lowe provides signings update after pre-season loss to Barrow

Preston North End fans will get a glimpse of new arrivals Mads Frøkjær-Jensen and Will Keane in next week’s pre-season friendlies, manager Ryan Lowe has confirmed.

Neither of the new arrivals featured as North End were beaten 1-0 by League Two Barrow on Saturday afternoon, as David Worrall’s fifth-minute goal proved the defence against a strong Preston line-up in Cumbria.

Lowe’s side have Deepdale friendlies scheduled against Ipswich Town and Aberdeen on Wednesday and Saturday and some of the new signings are set to feature.

Duane Holmes has joined from Huddersfield Town and could make an appearance but Liverpool loanee Calvin Ramsay is not set to feature after officially starting his loan move from the Premier League club.

“We’ve got to get these lads up to speed and they’ll get minutes next week. Then it’s about fighting for places and that’s the message going forward,” said Lowe.

“Will [Keane] will definitely get minutes, Mads will definitely get minutes, Duane potentially I’m not too sure, and Calvin [Ramsay] not just yet. Liam Lindsay will be back too so we’ll be fine, we’re alright.

“We’ll get more minutes into them on Wednesday and then Saturday, and then the following week which is Fleetwood and Stockport.

“There’ll be a lot more minutes going on then, but we just want to make sure everyone’s got the right minutes in case they’re called up against Bristol City. That’s the main objective. We’ve got to get ourselves ready for that.”

Lowe admitted the performance against Barrow “wasn’t great” but the North End boss insists results are not important at this stage.

He reflected: “The performance wasn’t great in terms of what we want. The energy levels were okay. The lads who played 60-odd minutes covered five and a half to six km which is fine.

“That’s what we want out of it, and then we got the youngsters on a little bit later. When you come to Barrow you know what to expect. The minute you get here it’s pouring down with rain and blowing a gale.

“I don’t think we could get going in our stride really. We were a bit safe around the backline and probably played more backwards passes, but that’s what pre-season’s for isn’t it?

“[We need] to make sure we make those decisions better and pass forward, run forward. We didn’t do as much of that as we’d have liked, but fair play to Barrow because they put their bodies on the line. It was a fighting game. They tried to turn it into a fight and we got involved a little bit but we can’t get involved in that.

“Look, it’s a runout. The scoreline is not great and that’s not what I want, but there’s no points at stake and, as I’ve said many times, it’s about getting minutes in the lads’ legs and we’ll continue to do that.”