Former Norwich City loanee Ched Evans has took his first steps on the coaching ladder by signing a new player/coach deal with Championship rivals Preston.
The 35-year-old striker, who scored 10 goals in 28 loan appearances for the Canaries at the start of his career, has agreed to stay at Deepdale for the new campaign.
Evans played in both league games against Norwich last season, and is keen to build on his coaching badges after studying for his Uefa ‘A’ and ‘B’ licences.
“I really appreciate the contract that’s been offered. I’m really happy with it,” he said. “I’m super excited to get going again this season. Player/coach is a unique situation, but I believe there’s still a lot of playing in me, but in the meantime I can get experience on the coaching side.
“Preston’s a place I’ve come to love and I know everyone here. For me, having the opportunity to stay here was massive.”
🤝 Our new player-coach.
— Preston North End FC (@pnefc) June 28, 2024
Ched Evans has extended his North End stay. 🙌#pnefc
Norwich is scheduled to head to Deepdale in the Championship on October 22. North End boss Ryan Lowe believes Evans has what it takes to make the move into coaching.
“I’m really pleased Ched’s accepted the chance to join the great coaching staff we’ve got already,” he said, quoted on the Preston official site. “He’ll work closely with Peter Murphy to help develop the youngsters but also help out with the seniors and the strikers, because he’s been there, seen it and done it.
“He’s got valuable experience and we still feel he’s got a lot to offer on the pitch, but off it as well.
“We let him take a select XI in an in-house training match during an international break last season, just to let him experience it, and you could see what he has to offer. We think he’ll be a valuable coach for us.”
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