Preston North End are said to have feared that Celtic would make a late attempt to hijack their deadline day move for Ali McCann, as per a recent report by The Sun on Sunday.

The Lancashire outfit completed the signing of the 21-year-old central midfielder from St. Johnstone with just seconds of the window remaining, with Celtic said to have also been interested in the Northern Ireland international.

In fact Celtic had an extra hour until their transfer window closed, but alas Preston's fears were not realised as the Hoops chose not to move for McCann as they focused their efforts on securing other targets.

McCann was part of the St. Johnstone side which won both the Scottish Cup and League Cup last season and will certainly add something extra to the current North End squad.

Capable of playing as a more defensive ball winner and in a more advanced role when required, the 21-year-old has put pen to paper on a four year contract at Deepdale.

The Verdict 

The signing of McCann should give Preston a real boost on the field of play and many fans will be looking forward to seeing him in action.

He is still a very much up and coming prospect in the game and it may well take him a little while to get used to the fast tempo of the Sky Bet Championship.

He adds an extra bit of bite and dynamism to the midfield and should compliment the club's other options in that area really well moving forwards.

It'll certainly be interesting to see how Frankie McAvoy works him into the current side and the challenge now will be to find a combination in the centre of the park which will provide a winning formula for a North End side which is just starting to come into form.