Preston North End boss delivers Callum Lang injury update amid talk season's over after Portsmouth exit
The Preston North End boss has updated on Callum Lang’s injury situation this evening, after his January Pompey exit.
Paul Heckingbottom has dismissed talk Callum Lang’s season is over.
The Preston North End boss has confirmed he expects to see the Scouser back in action this term, after being sidelined with a hamstring issue.
Talk circulated on social media yesterday Lang’s campaign is at an end, after being hit with a hamstring injury in his side’s loss at Oxford United earlier this month.
It’s another blow for the Scouser, after his exit for Deepdale on the final day of the January transfer window for around £2m.
Lang has been hampered by hamstring issues, leading to surgery and three months on the sidelines at the start of the season.
The suggestion was the 27-year-old won’t be seen again this season as PNE tumble down the Championship table, with a run of just one league win in 12.
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But, speaking after his side’s 2-0 loss at Norwich City today, Heckingbottom stated Lang’s campaign is not at a close as he gave short shrift to the speculation.
When asked if Lang will play again this season, the Preston boss said: ‘Yes. I know, (Preston chief executive) Peter (Ridsdale) told me (about the social media rumours), but you know I don’t watch and listen. That’s how good social media is for you.’
Lang has now suffered four hamstring injuries this year, with the latest problem surfacing along with an ankle issue.
The former Wigan man, of course, has played just 16 times in 14 months, which played a part in Pompey sanctioning his exit from PO4.
Speaking this week, Heckingbottom went into more detail over Lang’s injury situation.
He added: ‘Yeah, Callum's out. Everyone saw him take that whack at the weekend but in those mechanics, when he went to push off again, he strained his hamstring as well.
‘Nothing serious. But, yeah, he wouldn't have been fit either way (for the Coventry game). So, we’re looking at after the international break (for a return date). I think the next few games, he'll still be too sore. Or, if we're thinking about it, his history and that, it'll be too risky.
‘So I would’ve thought it'll be after the international break. It's those things when you've been out a while, I think you tend to get a little bit of bad luck. If he hadn't have suffered that whack, he'd still be fine.
‘We would have preferred him to be fit to keep getting those training minutes and game time into him, build up that robustness.
‘It's obviously a big blow for us and it will be really frustrating for him. Just to stress, nothing major... but I'm better telling you guys the truth because he could come back after the break and it might be his hamstring keeping him out and not his ankle.