"Been a great servant" - Preston North End player tipped for axe as part of Heckingbottom rebuild | OneFootball

Paul Heckingbottom has been backed to make changes at Preston, with Andrew Hughes among those out of contract this summer.

This article is part of Football League World's 'Terrace Talk' series, which provides personal opinions from our FLW Fan Pundits regarding the latest breaking news, teams, players, managers, potential signings and more...

Preston North End manager Paul Heckingbottom has been told to put his own stamp on the squad over the coming windows, even if it means a player like Andrew Hughes is moved on after many years of service to the Lilywhites.

The former Sheffield United boss has endured a difficult start since he was named as Ryan Lowe’s successor at Deepdale earlier this season.

Whilst they have been difficult to beat at times under his guidance, a 0-0 draw at Stoke on Tuesday night means North End are without a win in seven, and they remain worryingly close to the bottom three.

Paul Heckingbottom told to let Andrew Hughes depart Preston North End as part of squad shake-up

Of course, the blame for this doesn’t lie with Heckingbottom, as he inherited this side, and he hasn’t even had a full transfer window to bring in his own players, with the only addition he was allowed to make in August being that of Josh Bowler on loan from Nottingham Forest - and that hasn't gone particularly well.

You would expect big decisions to be made over the coming 12 to 18 months, and one player who faces an uncertain future is Andrew Hughes.

The 32-year-old defender has been an ever-present this season, and he has put in some decent performances, including at the bet365 Stadium against the Potters as part of a defence that kept a clean sheet.

However, with his contract expiring next summer, it’s unclear whether the Welshman will remain a key figure at Deepdale in the years to come.

And, when asked by FLW if Hughes should be offered a new deal, or moved on, FLW's North End fan pundit Darren Watson - whilst full of praise for what the defender has done for the club - believes Heckingbottom should be willing to go in a different direction by freshening up the squad and letting the left-footer move on.

“He has been a terrific player, a constant in the side, and he has been really solid. But, going forward, I do think age is something to consider," Darren said to Football League World.

“Heckingbottom needs to be looking at bringing the players he wants into the club. He’ll have a list in front of him with all the players' contracts and when they’re up, and he should be looking at these and thinking about getting some of these out, and getting some fresh faces in, some hungry players that want to go out and win games.

“After the game against Derby, I’m starting to think the team is not good enough. I was holding out hope for a long time now, but it’s just not good enough.

"We need to go out and look for players that want to fight to be a top team in the Championship, and be part of a team that can reach the Premier League.

“That’s what we need, and Hughes has been a great servant but I think we need to look for some hungry, fresh talent.”

Paul Heckingbottom will be planning for long-term Preston North End project

There is a frustration around PNE right now, and you can understand why, as fans haven’t seen the club kick-on in the way they wanted.

The decision to appoint Heckingbottom looked like a shrewd one, but he will need time to fully put his mark on the squad. Of course, he has to balance that by getting results in the short-term, as the team are very much in the relegation mix right now.

So, it’s a difficult job, and the only priority for the boss will be to climb that table as quickly as possible.

That means contract talks with Hughes, or anyone else, will be put on hold, and no matter what happens this season, it seems North End will have a huge summer.

Ultimately, Heckingbottom will decide which players he wants to keep, and it’s on those in the squad now to prove that they want to be part of this project in the years to come - perhaps though, after many years of continuity, a big shake up is needed to push PNE back up the table.