Preston North End have hit the jackpot with Everton deal - Derby County must be jealous | OneFootball

Harrison Armstrong has been a key performer for the Lilywhites thus far

Preston North End have enjoyed an impressive start to the Championship campaign, one which very few outside the walls of Deepdale saw coming after the Lancashire side narrowly staved off relegation to League One last term.

However, in Paul Heckingbottom, the Lilywhites have one of very few managers to boast experience of winning promotion to the Premier League, having achieved exactly that during his only full season in charge of Sheffield United in 2022/23, with the Blades ending a then-two-year exile from the top flight as well as reaching the FA Cup semi-finals.

Of course, North End's own hiatus from the elite division of English football stretches way further back, having failed to return to the top flight in over 60 years, despite being steeped in history on so many levels. Yet, after several examples of near misses on promotion or even reaching the play-offs, there is hope that such trends can be put behind the North West club despite being unfancied before a ball was kicked.

After preserving their second tier status on the final day of last season, Heckingbottom has overseen a major squad reshuffle at Deepdale during his first pre-season as Preston boss, with several experienced and long-serving players shown the exit door as the 48-year-old set about firmly making the squad at his disposal his own after taking over from Ryan Lowe last August in rather bizarre circumstances.

A total of 12 permanent and loan signings were made to replace the aforementioned raft of departures, with temporary acquisitions such as Daniel Jebbison, Lewis Dobbin, Alfie Devine and Harrison Armstrong all making headlines of late.

However, the performances of Armstrong, in particular, have been integral to an upsurge in form, and will certainly have divisional rivals in the form of Derby County looking rather envious.

Harrison Armstrong has continued impressive Derby County form with Preston North End

The 18-year-old earned a strong reputation whilst rising through the Everton academy ranks at rapid speed, making his professional debut for the Toffees aged just 17 in August 2024, before making a first loan switch away from Merseyside in January as he joined Derby County.

Remarkably, it was John Eustace who ended up as the major beneficiary of the loan deal despite Armstrong being signed under Paul Warne, with the current MK Dons boss sacked just days after the midfielder moved to Pride Park on a temporary basis.

Despite being just 18, the Liverpudlian played with a maturity way beyond his years, striking up a partnership alongside the likes of Liam Thompson and Ebou Adams that was integral to a strong run of form which ended in the Rams consolidating their place in the Championship by a solitary point, with his first senior goal in a dramatic 3-2 success at Plymouth Argyle crucial to those aims.

Unsurprisingly, Eustace hoped that the England youth international would return to DE24 this season, before David Moyes was able to cast an eye on his progression and watch him put in a stellar performance against Mansfield Town in the EFL Cup, where he laid on two assists for Carlos Alcaraz and Beto.

Those in the East Midlands would have, unsurprisingly, been envious and frustrated when the Scot then allowed Armstrong to join his former club on loan for the season, where he has been integral to a strong start despite not racking up a single goal contribution thus far as a reward for those efforts.

The 6"1 figure has impressed massively alongside Devine and North End skipper Ben Whiteman, winning 75% of his aerial duels and 63.3% of his overall battles in the centre of the park, allowing for several teammates to grab the headlines.

Heckingbottom recently told the Athletic: “I think he can get better still. As I’ve seen him play more, there’s one or two things I want to challenge him on but I really like how he plays, what he’s like as a lad.

“He’s 18 and has got a wonderful future because he’s already a very good player at this level, but I can see where he can improve further.”

Based off his early-season metrics, the improvements wanted could - and most likely - relate to his chance creation, but the midfielder has only continued to show why he has been tipped to make the grade at the Hill Dickinson Stadium.

There have been several examples of players only enhancing their chances of becoming Premier League regulars through initial EFL stints, and Armstrong could definitely follow suit in that regard.

Not only is the youngster extremely combative, he is incredibly composed when on the ball and under pressure, which are two traits required to succeed in both the Premier League and Championship.

Much like his midfield partner in Devine, Lilywhites supporters may have to suffer the misfortune of only seeing the exciting midfielders feature at Deepdale for a solitary season, even if an unexpected promotion was to come at the end of the campaign.

Armstrong is under contract with his boyhood club until at least the summer of 2028, making a clear pathway into the first-team fold on a much more regular basis extremely evident after the occasional cameo thus far.