Preston North End's decision to cut ties with former manager Frankie McAvoy last month didn't exactly come as a shock to the club's supporters as their side had produced some underwhelming displays in the Championship during the opening stages of the season.

McAvoy wasn't helped by the fact that he was unable to call upon the services of one of his key players in this particular period.

After featuring in two of the club's opening three league fixtures, Ched Evans picked up a foot injury which led to him missing a considerable chunk of action in the Championship.

Having provided seven direct goal contributions in the second-tier last season, the Preston forward would have been hoping to help the club reach new heights in this division in the current term and thus this setback must have been a significant blow for him.

Although Emil Riis managed to step up to the mark in Evans' absence, Preston only managed to win five of their next 15 league games.

Evans marked his return to action by scoring in the Lilywhites' clash with Middlesbrough and then backed up this display by finding the back of the net against Fulham.

Following this mini-revival, Preston suffered a 1-0 defeat at the hands of Blackburn Rovers and subsequently decided to replace McAvoy with Ryan Lowe.

Lowe went on to win his first game in charge of the club as he led his side to a 2-1 victory over Barnsley.

Evans did not feature in this clash due to illness and has now been linked with a move away from Preston.

According to the latest print edition of The Sun on Sunday (19/12, page 69), Wigan Athletic are believed to be interested in signing the Welshman as they look to bolster their chances of achieving automatic promotion to the Championship.

This report also suggested that Lowe was willing to part ways with Evans next month.

However, as per the Lancashire Post, the Preston boss has actually been impressed by the forward in training and is keen to keep him at Deepdale for the foreseeable future.

Although Preston could secure a sizeable fee for Evans due to the fact that his current contract runs until 2023, there is no guarantee that they will be able to draft in a suitable replacement in such a short period of time.

Taking this into consideration, Lowe simply has to stick by his current transfer stance as Preston could end up experiencing a difficult few months in the Championship if the former Sheffield United man seals a switch to Wigan.

Having been directly involved in 39 goals at this level during his career, the 32-year-old clearly knows exactly what it takes to succeed in the second-tier and thus could prove to be a key asset for Lowe as he looks to guide the club into a new dawn.