Preston North End manager Alex Neil has explained why he replaced Alan Browne in the second half against Leeds United, when his team were trailing the league leaders by two goals to nil.
The Lilywhites suffered a 3-0 loss at Elland Road on Tuesday night and their winless run continues after failing to add to their triumph over Queens Park Rangers on the opening weekend of the Championship.
Neil’s men were thoroughly outplayed by the hosts, who coasted with the help of goals from Liam Cooper and a second half brace from Tyler Roberts, and struggled to replicate the form they displayed during their EFL Cup win over the Whites.
Preston were without the services of Ben Pearson, who served the second of his three-match suspension on the night, but Browne returned to action after recovering from an ankle problem.
However, Neil decided to replace Browne when the Lilywhites were still trailing and explained that he made the decision so as to protect the player after he thought the result was irreversible.
“They scored the second goal and we weren’t going to win the game at that stage”, Neil told the Lancashire Post.
“I needed to try and protect him because he’s at an elevated risk of getting injured for the last 15 minutes.
“He needed replacing at that point because once the game is done there’s no point chasing a lost cause.
“We didn’t show enough in that match to suggest to me that after the second goal we were going to go on and get anything”, he added.
Preston are currently second from bottom in the Championship table and will travel to Sheffield United on Saturday in desperate need of a win.
