Ben Pearson has put pen to paper on a new contract that extends his stay at Deepdale until at least the summer of 2021.
After signing from Manchester United in the January 2016 transfer window, the No.4 soon became a fans’ favourite on the Lilywhites’ terraces with his no nonsense style at the heart of the engine room.
The Oldham-born 22-year-old, who is nominated as the Championship’s north west player of the year at next month’s awards in Manchester, picked up the Preston North End young player of the year award for last season and has recently surpassed 50 games for the club and 100 career appearances.
Speaking after signing the three-and-a-half-year deal he said that he felt he was part of a squad that could mean that part of that contract would be as a Premier League player: "I think looking forward into the future, this club is going places with the current squad we've got, and I think the only way is up for this club.
"I think promotion has got to be the ambition, and with a three-and-a-half-year deal, that leaves with me a minimum of four seasons here.
"In that four years we will be looking to achieve that at some point, whether it's this year, next year or the year after. We will just keep plugging away and see if we can get there, I don't think we are too far away."