Paul Warne has made a final decision on whether to recall Derby County youngster Dajaune Brown.
Born in Nottingham, Dajaune Brown has risen up through Derby County’s academy and signed his first professional contract in the summer.
The striker made his professional debut in a Carabao Cup clash with Blackpool in August, before earning his league debut against Northampton Town almost three months later.
Brown was then an unused substitute on two further occasions before he was sent out on loan to National League club Gateshead.
The teenager has gone from strength to strength in the north-east after making his debut against Barnet, though did have to wait eight games before netting his first goal.
Brown has started the last five games in the National League, but has scored an impressive six goals in 14 appearances – including a brace in a huge 7-1 win over local rivals Hartlepool United this week.
Derby County’s Dajaune Brown dilemma
With Gateshead now sat in fourth place, Brown has had people at Derby County talking about his form and a potential premature return to Pride Park.
With the Rams suffering a number of injuries to their attack this term, Paul Warne has admitted he had given it a ‘massive thought’ about bringing Brown back early.
Speaking to Derbyshire Live, Warne said: “We have given it massive thought.
“If it was the situation we were in eight weeks ago, we probably would have called him back. We sent Dajaune out for the exact reason that I said initially which was to play men’s football, make a name for himself, score some goals, get beaten up a little bit because it’s different to academy football.
“That’s why you have to loan players out. We aren’t loaning them out because we don’t want them, it’s quite the opposite. We want him to step up, and then in the summer, we’ll have a good look at him.
“Matt Hamshaw and Andy Warrington drove to Gateshead to watch him in midweek. He scored two, won a penalty and we’ve all contacted him saying ‘look, just be ready because we might call you back’.
“But we’ve got Collo back, Waggy and Wash are back too. I’m not just going to pull him back “to be 19th man because he’s got a chance to play at Wembley and he is still progressing as a player. I thank Gateshead for what they’ve done, because it’s definitely helped him but it is something (recall) that we speak about every week now.
“Now if Collo and Wash were injured for instance now, I’d pull him back in a heartbeat and he’d be on the bench and he’d be used. But at this moment in time, he’s just better where he is.”
Has Paul Warne made the right decision?
Derby County looked to be in real trouble when James Collins, Conor Washington, Dwight Gayle and Tyreece John-Jules all took their place on the sidelines, however with the former two now available, it seems unnecessary to disturb Brown’s development.
This season is the 18-year-old’s first taste of regular first-team football and he seems to be really thriving off it, however it is just the National League and Paul Warne will be aware he has a lot of growing to do.
Brown could help Gateshead win promotion this season and he deserves to be part of that and potentially win a medal, rather than bringing him back to perhaps get a few minutes here and there off the bench.
The youngster will most likely go out on loan again in the summer, but every loan spell and every goal he scores offers Derby County even more promise for the future.
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