Preston return 'surreal' and 'special' - Alexander

What the report says

Graham Alexander says his return to Preston North End as manager has felt like coming home, after he replaced Paul Heckingbottom at Deepdale and left league-leading Bradford City to take the job. Alexander, 54, made 372 league appearances across two spells for Preston as a player and also had a brief spell as caretaker manager before retiring there in 2012.

The new boss said the move felt “surreal” at first, and described a sense of emotion at home with his wife after a long career that has also included managerial jobs at Fleetwood, Scunthorpe, Salford City, Motherwell and MK Dons. He said Preston has remained a special place for his family, noting that they had spent many years in the area and later chose to return to the north west after living elsewhere.

Alexander inherits a Preston side sitting second from bottom in the Championship after six defeats in their opening eight league matches. He said the three-week international break gives him a useful two-week training window before Preston host Millwall on 10 October, allowing time to reset the squad and begin introducing his ideas. He added that the team will need longer to fully adapt, but believes the extra preparation should help. BBC Sport reported the comments from Alexander in interviews with BBC Radio Lancashire.