Preston North End manager Ryan Lowe has admitted that he is open to the possibility of strengthening his squad in the January transfer window.

Handed over the reins at Deepdale earlier this month, the Lilywhites boss guided his side to victory over Barnsley in his first game in charge of the club.

Preston have been unable to build upon this particular performance in recent weeks as their scheduled clashes with Millwall, Sheffield United and West Bromwich Albion were all postponed.

Set to finally make their return to action on Monday, it will be intriguing to see how the Lilywhites will fare when they head to the bet365 Stadium to face Stoke City.

Currently 15th in the Championship standings, Preston will need to pick up victories on a regular basis in the coming weeks if they are to launch a push for a top-six finish in this particular division as they are 11 points adrift of Huddersfield Town, who occupy the final play-off place.

Ahead of the club's clash with Stoke, Lowe shared his thoughts on potential incomings in January.

Speaking to the Lancashire Post, the Preston boss said: "We are always open to ideas on what players could come.

"We aren't sitting here saying we are going to spend loads of money in the transfer market.

"If something comes along that tickles us, which we think will help us and is better than what we have got, we will have a look at it."

The Verdict

This is a sensible approach to take heading into the upcoming window as Lowe should only be looking to bolster his squad if a potential arrival is capable of taking Preston to new heights.

One of the areas that Lowe may need to focus on strengthening is his defence as the Lilywhites have only managed to prevent their opponents from scoring on five occasions in the Championship this season.

By securing the services of some individuals who know exactly what it takes to compete at this level, Preston may be able to keep more clean-sheets during the second-half of the campaign.

The scale of the Lilywhites' business could also depend on whether they are able to keep their key players at Deepdale in the coming weeks.