'Every step was agony' - The injury hell that's behind Preston North End's Ched Evans

Preston North End striker Ched Evans has put his injury nightmare behind him and is keen to show his best self in a Lilywhites shirt this season.

The front man missed almost half of the previous campaign due to injuries in his foot and at times played through pain. Now, having played a part in all the pre-season friendlies, he feels he is getting back to the performance levels shown when he first signed in 2020/21.

After scoring five in 21, Evans did not kick a ball between August 18th and November 22nd. He finished last season with two goals in 23 outings - Cameron Archer and Emil Riis carrying the burden of goals in attack. Evans wants to contribute more in that regard this season and feels that one of his 'toughest' pre-seasons yet as a player will only serve to help that.

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"The running! It has been intense and it's been hard," Evans told LancsLive, when asked what has made this pre-season so tough. "Then obviously, with the heat in Spain and the running there, the days were long but it will all prepare us for those Saturday-Tuesday-Saturdays going into the new season.

"There is a method behind the madness and we've got the first two-and-a-half weeks in the bank now. Pre-season is about getting those done, getting through it together and then, although the work is still hard, it tapers off a bit because the games come quickly and you've then got to prepare for them.

"It (the support from fans) is brilliant. I actually felt sorry for the fans in Spain - there was no water and to get the water you had to walk back up that hill, where the bar was closed! I felt for them but you take your hat off to it, because it was some distance to come to stand on a road.