Preston North End have confirmed the departure of left-back Josh Earl, who joins Ipswich Town on loan until the end of the season.

The 21-year-old left-back spent the first half of the season on loan at Bolton Wanderers as they battled to just play games at the beginning of the season, before the mass influx of players on deadline day in the summer.

Earl has spent his whole career with the Lilywhites and shown some promise in that time, making 33 appearances under Alex Neil. This season, he has made nine league appearances at Bolton picking up one yellow card and one red in League One.

His loan spell ended at the League One strugglers at the beginning of this month and now he has clinched his second move fo the season, joining promotion-chasing Ipswich Town until the end of the season.

Earl hasn’t been a regular fixture of Preston’s side since breaking into the first-team, with Joe Rafferty and Andrew Hughes currently sharing the left-back spot for this season. 

Earl will be looking to continue to build his momentum following missing early parts of the season with an ankle injury, and head to Portman Road in search of more regular first-team experience.

Preston have had some rotten luck this season with injuries and particularly in defence, so it may have come as a surprise to some to see him leave the club again on-loan while players sit out.

Here, we take a look at how Preston fans have reacted to the news of the left-back departing...

Can you name ever Preston league finish in recent years?