Ryan Lowe has only been in charge of Preston since December but is already winning over plenty of the club's supporters and their players, with Sean Maguire telling LancsLive that the work he is doing is 'exciting to see' at Deepdale.

They started the season out under Frankie McAvoy and despite picking up a few wins and some positive results, the performances began to dry up and the Lilywhites slid down the table.

It led to him being relieved of his duties and replaced by then-Plymouth manager Ryan Lowe. Since the former Bury boss came in, the results have been positive again and the club have looked a lot sharper. They can now even think about a finish in the top half of the table, with a play-off push likely at one point too.

Now, another player has praised the new manager, with Sean Maguire happy with how things are looking under Lowe. The striker himself has struggled to cement a place in the side this year - he has only 15 starts to his name in the Championship this season - and has three goal contributions along the way.

He's been displaced by Cameron Archer, who came into the club on a loan deal in the winter window but the 27-year-old has not let it get him too down and has instead lauded the performances of his new manager at the club.

Speaking to LancsLive about Lowe and the future of PNE, he said: "The gaffer has only been here four months and look at the changes he has made - the way we've been playing, the structure, with the ball, without the ball.

"It feels like everyone is on the same wavelength and that's only after four-and-a-half months. If you look another six months down the line, later this year, can you imagine where the manager could have Preston? It is really exciting to see, I've been here nearly five or six years and you tend to become more of a fan, just as much as a player."

Maguire then is as positive as ever at Preston, even so far down the line at the club. If Lowe decides to keep him on, then he could be part of something special soon at Deepdale.

The Verdict

Ryan Lowe has been excellent since taking over at Deepdale and you can see there has been a real upturn in fortune under the former Plymouth boss when compared to under Frankie McAvoy.

It makes you question how they could have been with the manager in charge from the beginning of the season, rather than just halfway through the campaign. Now, given a full summer though, he could really shape the squad to his liking and kick on.

Sean Maguire himself has had an up and down campaign. He formed a solid enough partnership with Emil Riis at first despite not scoring much but since Ryan Lowe took over and brought in Cameron Archer, he has found himself on the bench the vast majority of the time.

The striker has not let that get to him though and he could play a part for the side in rotation going forward. With the striking options limited at PNE right now, you'd be surprised to see him let go of someone like Maguire without at least brining in a replacement.