Preston North End manager pleased with club despite missing out on Aston Villa's Cameron Archer

The Aston Villa striker spent six months at PNE last season, scoring seven times, but has barely played since being kept at Villa Park in the summer, with North End also interested then.

Now however the 21-year-old is able to leave to the club on loan and it is believed that he will be on his way to Middlesbrough.

Preston had been montioring the situation of their former loanee and when he became available put an offer in, though it proved to be for nought in the end, but Lowe is happy with the backing he got from the club in his attempts to bring the Villa man in.

On whether he had missed out Archer, Lowe said: “Probably, yeah. It was not for any other reason but Cam wanted to choose another club and not us.

“We financially gave Aston Villa everything they asked for to get him, which pleased me as the manager. When these players are available it ultimately comes down to finances and we put everything on the table and he chose elsewhere.”

Lowe was previously confident that should Archer become available, North End would stand a good chance in bringing the youngster back in. That proved to be the case and although there was interest from a host of Championship clubs, there were only two seriously considered by the forward.

It seems likely now that Archer will end up in the North East, which is not something Lowe will hold against him.

He said: “It's his choice, I'm not going to fall out with the kid, no chance. I've got a good relationship with him and the family. It's his choice.

"We couldn't have done any more, the financial package was there, we'd done everything. Peter Ridsdale (director) had a nice message off Aston Villa saying thanks for cooperating and you'd done everything you could to get him but the kid has chosen another club.

"Sometimes that's just the way it is. There are other players that have chosen clubs ahead of us in my time here, it's just a case of wishing them the best of luck and moving onto the next one.”