Preston's Clarke ruled out with knee injury

[Shutterstock] Preston North End right-back Harry Clarke will be "out for a while" with a knee issue but the lay-off is expected to be short term, boss Graham Alexander has confirmed. The 25-year-old missed the match against Birmingham on Tuesday after being taken off at half-time during the game against Millwall at the weekend. "Unfortunately, he's damaged his knee on his landing, hyper-extended it," Alexander told BBC Radio Lancashire. "He's in a brace at the moment and he will be out for a little while. It's disappointing." Striker Johnny Kenny, meanwhile, is yet to train but Alexander is hopeful he can return to the pitch on Friday, though it will be too soon to feature against Wrexham on Saturday (15:00 BST). Midfielder Liam Gibbs has also been ruled out after being taken off during Tuesday's 4-0 loss to Blues in the 24th minute. Alexander added: "He's been for a scan so we are waiting for confirmation on that but it's a muscle injury. Fingers crossed he's not too bad but we don't know the full extent yet." A player who is in training is right-back Brad Potts, who not yet made an appearance this season and only made 16 in the Championship in 2025-26. The 32-year-old did feature in an under-21s game on Friday but Alexander is wary of rushing him back into the first team. "We asked him on Monday if he wanted to play in that under-21s game and he took that opportunity," Alexander said. "We will see how he is again on Friday and keep assessing it but we need to understand where he is fitness-wise. When a player does come back, you want him back for good." Watch the full interview below or listen on BBC Sounds here . [BBC] Latest Preston North End news, analysis and fan views