Preston North End forward Jayden Stockley has suggested that he is using his loan spell with League One Charlton Athletic to put himself out there and remind people of his qualities, while he also revealed talks will be held with his parent club in the summer.

Stockley endured a frustrating first half of the campaign at Deepdale with the forward having managed to make just four starts for Preston in the Championship with a further 12 appearances off the bench (Sofascore). The 27-year-old managed to register just once in those matches and he made it clear to the club he wanted to leave them on loan in January to get more minutes.

Sunderland had reportedly been interested in taking the forward on loan, but in the end, he revealed to London News Online that he chose Charlton because they have more creativity in the squad. Stockley’s current deal at Preston does not run out until 2022, after he signed a three-and-a-half-year deal following his £750,000 move from Exeter City in January 2019.

Speaking to London News Online, Stockley revealed that he made the move to Charlton to re-find his best form and put himself out there once again. He also suggested that he would have talks with the Lilywhites in the summer to assess what his long-term future is going to be.

He said: “My thinking is that this is a loan to prove myself in the future.

“This is to look at the long term – I’m putting myself out there now.

“That’s why I selected Charlton as an absolutely brilliant option. I came here with longevity in mind.

“Preston are my club and I guess in the summer we’ll talk and understand the situation a bit more about what’s going to happen.

“My role now is to impress everyone at Charlton and show what type of player I am.

“It’s almost nice to back yourself for six months. I’ve been desperate for this chance and to wind up at a club as big as Charlton, I feel very lucky to have that opportunity.”

The verdict

Stockley is not ruling out the possibility of returning to the Lilywhites in the summer and trying to re-establish himself at Preston under Alex Neil. However, it is clear that he has not been too happy with the situation surrounding his lack of game time at Deepdale over the last few months. Therefore it seems he is very much keeping his options open.

The 27-year-old arrived at Preston with a growing reputation following his impressive haul of 16 goals in 25 appearances for Exeter in League Two in the first half of the 2018/19 campaign (Sofascore). However, he has failed to replicate that sort of form in the Championship and managed just four goals in 32 appearances last term (Sofascore).

Neil has seemed unconvinced over his ability to lead the line on a consistent basis for Preston, and it seems like he might have to move on in the summer. That could change if he goes onto enjoy a successful spell with Charlton, where he has already scored one goal in three starts (Sofascore). It will certainly be a situation to keep a watchful eye on in the summer.