Even if he does not earn a move to a big club before the January transfer window, there is little reason for Sean St Ledger to stress about the direction his career may be going in.

The highly-rated defender returned to Preston North End this month after a loan spell with Middlesbrough did not lead to a permanent deal and he might be wondering what step to take next.

Celtic enquired and then bid for him, but Preston are determined to haggle for the best price possible. That may have scared the SPL giants off as their budget is tighter than it has been in a long time.

St Ledger may feel that his big chance to test himself at a higher level disappeared with that rejected bid from Celtic, but he needs to be patient. Several Premier League clubs have reportedly taken an interest in him as have teams currently chasing promotion from the Coca-Cola Championship.

If he can get back to the form that he showed last year when he broke into the Republic of Ireland team then it shouldn't be too long before a big club rescues him from Deepdale.

Best days are still ahead

At 25, it is safe to say that St Ledger can add many more facets to his game before he has reached his peak. And it is that potential to grow even more as defender that will excite clubs.

The former Peterborough United man has displayed some weaknesses - most notably a tendency to get caught ball-watching - over the past few years that need to be addressed and stamped out. Perhaps that is why he has yet to fully convince a big club to swoop for him.

However, he is getting better all of the time and showed just how much he has learned from his time under Giovanni Trapattoni in the Ireland set-up when he was at Middlesbrough earlier this season. More often than not he was the stand-out player in a team that struggled for consistency.

He has since moved on (or is that back?) from that stint in the North East of England. It was a mature decision to turn down the permanent deal when he felt unsettled, although he now has to get back to his best with Preston.

Irish place is not guaranteed

Despite forging a decent partnership with Richard Dunne in the heart of the Ireland defence, St Ledger will be fully aware that his place in the starting eleven for his country may be under threat if he is not performing well for his club.

That, along with his ambition to play in a better league, should act as the biggest motivating factor for him over the next couple of months as the European Championship qualifiers are not too far away.

The competition for centre-back for Ireland is not that great, although the likes of Paddy McCarthy (Crystal Palace), Alex Bruce, Damien Delaney (both Ipswich Town), and Marc Wilson (Portsmouth) will be eager to rival him for that slot alongside Dunne.

It will be interesting to see if he does get a move this month, but if he doesn't then St Ledger will have to go back to basics to remind Trapattoni as well as other clubs why he was previously in demand because playing in a struggling Preston side will not interest people as much as playing for a bigger club would.