Preston boss 'feels' for injured Thompson

Preston North End start the new season without summer signing Jordan Thompson who will be missing for the next couple of months following ankle surgery.

Speaking about the injury, boss Paul Heckingbottom told BBC Radio Lancashire: "It's another couple of months for Jordan. I think I said at the time that he had a misdiagnosis after the final game of last season [for Stoke City].

"He has had an operation now to sort it out and is in recovery which is hard for him because when you come to a new club, you want to start well and it is only when he got to a certain point that he realised something was wrong, so I feel for him."

Robbie Brady is also missing for a couple of weeks with a calf injury while Brad Potts will be assessed ahead of tomorrow's opening-day trip to QPR (15:00 BST).

Ahead of the game, Heckingbottom added: "I want to get going. Once these league games get underway, that is when you start getting proper feedback about the players.

"With the teams that have come up and come down, I have not got a clue how this Championship [season] is going to go. Our expectation for every game is to go and try to win."

Debuts could be handed to summer signings, Daniel Iversen (Leicester), Odel Offiah (Brighton), Pol Valentin and Michael Smith (Sheffield Wednesday), Thierry Small (Charlton), Daniel Jebbison (Bournemouth, loan), Andrija Vukcevic (FC Juarez).

Heckingbottom said he was "delighted" by the business the Lilywhites have done this summer - click here to listen to his full interview via BBC Sounds.