Peterborough United v Huddersfield Town: Terriers move fast after opportunity knocks - plus why 'honeymoon period' is over for Michael Duff

Huddersfield Town have proved their capability in that regard after wrapping up the signing of teenage Northern Ireland international striker Callum Marshall after learning that his parent club West Ham would be receptive to letting him out on loan.

It’s a welcome breakthrough on the signings front for Town, with Marshall, 19 – a team-mate of Brodie Spencer at Northern Ireland - becoming their fifth new arrival of the summer.

Marshall who has four senior Northern Ireland caps after making his bow in June 2023, had a loan spell in the second half of last term at West Brom, making three substitute appearances.

He made his bow for West Ham in an FA Cup tie against Bristol City in January.

Town sporting director Mark Cartwright commented: "The loan market involving Premier League clubs and players has been slow so far in this window as they rightly take stock of how their players return from international competitions, but this opportunity has moved quickly over the last 48 hours and I’d like to thank everyone at West Ham United for the faith they have shown in us to look after one of their best prospects.

"We’ve been very clear about our desire to add to our forward options this summer, and Callum’s arrival on loan is an important piece of that puzzle.

After an uplifting pre-season, which has seen the playing side of the club come together, head coach Michael Duff knows that the real work now begins in earnest at Peterborough today, with the “honeymoon period” over.

He added: “There’s been a bit of soul-searching from everyone [this summer]. Most of the group were in a team that were relegated, so it’s how do you want to react – do you want to blame everyone else or take a bit of ownership of it?

"What went wrong, why did it go wrong and how can we correct it.

"Part of my job is to fact-find, almost and get to the bottom of it. This is the honeymoon period because we’ve not had to pick a team or have lost a game.

"That’s when you have to stress to the players that it can’t be okay for the first week. It cannot be about you and your agenda. Something I am big on is that you win nothing as an individual in this game.”