The Frenchman, who moved to Ewood Park from St Etienne in January 2010, is seen as a promising prospect after signing a three-and-a-half year deal last January.

BBC: Preston sign Nathan Ellington and Amine Linganzi loans

That raises the once-unthinkable prospect that the mayor will miss a spectacle billed as the nation's largest St.

WSJ: Next Mayor May Miss 2014 St. Patrick's Day Parade

Next head across the Brooklyn Bridge to stroll the deliciously breezy Brooklyn Heights Promenade, catch an outdoor Shakespeare performance in Brooklyn's vast green Prospect Park, and scoop up a butter pecan sundae at the waterfront Brooklyn Ice Cream Factory (1 Water St), housed in a 1920s fireboat house.

BBC: Summer in the city: New York