Preston North End have released their retained list for the 2020/21 season and in truth there are no real surprises.

The majority of Frankie McAvoy's squad are under contract for the coming seasons but of the ones whose contracts are expiring next month, none could have really expected to be staying at Deepdale.

Irish midfielder Graham Burke has already agreed a pre-contract with Shamrock Rovers in his native country, and two other players who are out on loan in Josh Ginnelly and David Nugent will also depart.

Nugent's second stint at North End has been unimpressive and he's not played for the club since last season - ending with just one goal in 24 outings.

Two players who have been at Deepdale all season are also departing - firstly Billy Bodin who failed to make an impact at the club but that was largely down to injuries.

The winger arrived from Bristol Rovers in January 2018 and because of his struggles with his knee especially he was restricted to just 33 appearances in three-and-a-half seasons, scoring three Championship goals.

 

 

 

 

The one that will hurt PNE fans the most though is the departure of Louis Moult, who arrived days before Bodin and was a fan favourite for the efforts he showed and the interactions he had with supporters.

The 28-year-old scored seven times in 36 games for the Lilywhites and is another player who was blighted with a knee problem, having spent 18 months on the sidelines from August 2019 after picking up the injury against Swansea City and he never played another minute for North End after that.

PNE fans have been reacting to the news of the released players and as expected there is much sadness to Moult's departure especially.