Preston North End manager Alex Neil has confirmed that he is hoping to have right-back Darnell Fisher back in the squad for the weekend while Tom Bayliss is likely to miss the remainder of the season.

The Lilywhites have been no stranger to injury problem this season that put an end to their early-season push for the automatic promotion places, seeing them slump to now fighting for their place in the top six.

Injury crisis at the back has seen a lot of players deputise across the back four, with the full-back positions causing a lot of issues to Alex Neil and his squad.

Right-back Darnell Fisher has been one of the more notable absentees from the defence in their last game, as he sat out the defeat to Millwall with a ‘minor complaint’.

However, Neil has confirmed that he hopes that Fisher will be fit enough to overcome this as Preston welcome a struggling Hull City side to Deepdale.

The injury news was mixed for Preston, though, as Neil confirmed that summer signing Tom Bayliss is set to miss the rest of the season after undergoing an operation to correct an ankle injury.

Bayliss hard struggled to make a first-team impact anyway, making just four appearances this season, all in the League Cup and FA Cup.

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The verdict

The potential return of Fisher to the backline is a much-needed boost to Neil to ensure his back four is as close to full strength as possible.

Fisher has been an important part of the Lilywhites’ defence this season and will continue to be so as they look to consolidate a place in the top six before the end of the season.

Neil will be hoping that the right-back’s return means that they won’t have a repeat of their last clash against the Tigers.

Fisher missed out back in November as a Jarrod Bowen-inspired Hull City thumped Preston 4-0 at the KCOM Stadium.