Liam Delap may have left Stoke City because his father Rory recently left the club as a coach, manager Alex Neil has suggested.
Manchester City striker Delap chose Stoke for his first loan move away from the Etihad, in part due to the family connections he has with the Potters. Dad Rory is a club hero at the Bet365 Stadium, and until recently was a first-team coach at Stoke.
However, with Rory departing his role, son Liam soon followed as City cut his season-long loan short and instead sent him out to Championship rivals Preston. Explaining the switch, Stoke manager Neil gave a cryptic answer relating to 'two independent decisions' where one happens as a result of another.
ALSO READ: City squad have told supporters their three point plan to improve form after United defeat
Regarding his departure from Stoke, Neil said: "I think if you look at Liam getting called back, what had happened was that there were two completely independent decisions that have been made. What we want to do is try to develop the club on and off the pitch. What happens is that sometimes there are some really difficult decisions to be made and as a consequence of one decision, another decision follows if you like.
"It's like bringing in a player. For example's sake, let's say a striker. It naturally impacts the strikers who are in the building and one might think they're not going to get as much game time as they'd like, and take it upon themselves to think they need to go to pastures new to get game time.
"There are always knock-on effects to every decision that you make. Liam is a young lad, he's 19, he played 23 times for us. We've only had 26 games. He's had a lot of minutes and I'm pretty sure that he'll go on and he'll become a really good player. It's his first loan. We wish him well. We exchanged texts yesterday. I'm sure he'll do well wherever he goes."
Delap, 19, scored three times in 23 outings for Stoke, and was given his Preston debut straight away at the weekend as they lost 4-0 to Norwich.
And Delap's new manager Ryan Lowe has said that Preston are undeterred by his slow start to life in the Championship in the first half of the season.
"He was one we were monitoring in the summer and obviously he chose to go to Stoke," said Lowe. "It obviously hasn't worked out as well as he would've liked it to, so when we knew there was an opportunity we jumped at it, because he's one of the best young talents in the country. Before he went to Stoke, everyone was after him. We are just pleased to get him because I think he'll do well for us and we'll do well for him.
"He's coming into a good footballing environment, where he can learn every day and we're hoping to get some goals out of him. So yeah, really pleased it's done. He has got all the attributes hasn't he? When I spoke to him I said to him that he'll make us better and we'd make him better.
"Especially in the top end of the pitch, because he's a goal scorer who works his socks off and has great pedigree. He's played for Manchester City and I think we've now got some strikers in the building who can compete with each other, first and foremost, but score some goals for us.
"He is a ball carrier as well, a workhorse and, as an ex-striker, I think when you work your socks off, the chances fall to you. He has only scored three goals, but we'll give him a small target to try and achieve scoring goals for us - which I am sure he will do. We'll coach him to our style and what we want.
"He went to Stoke under an old manager [Michael O'Neill] and then a new manager came in, some sometimes it takes time to bed in - or it's whether the manager likes you. Unfortunately, for Liam, it hasn't worked out as he would've liked and we're hoping that the second half of the season can work out for him at Preston North End."
READ NEXT:
