Derby County are within touching distance of the Championship after securing a 1-0 win away at Cambridge United on Saturday.
The Rams now only need a point against Carlisle United this weekend to mathematically secure a top-two finish.
Paul Warne‘s side have been on a strong run of form of late, only suffering defeat in one of their last 10 games, winning seven of them.
Nathaniel Mendez-Laing has taken home much of the plaudits as the leading assister in League One but one Derby ace has been the real unsung hero.
Korey Smith has been Derby County’s unsung hero
Korey Smith, who joined The Rams just under two years ago, has enjoyed a productive run in the side and his consistent performances are going under the radar.
Against Cambridge United, the ex-Swansea City midfielder recorded some impressive statistics, as per Sofascore.
- 90 minutes
- 3/5 duels won
- 2 clearances
- 2 tackles
- 1 interception
The 33-year-old has been ‘vital’ in Derby’s tremendous run of form and given he has previous experience in the Championship, he should be signed to a new contract this summer.
Smith, a former England youth international, has started six of the last seven league games and is almost undroppable in the engine room.
Derby County must extend Korey Smith’s contract
Smith’s contract is set to expire at the end of June and Derby chiefs should certainly be looking to extend it.
The experienced midfielder has made a whopping 245 appearances in the Championship, so he’ll be well-equipped to make the step up if Derby do indeed gain automatic promotion.
The Rams could do a lot worse and tying him down to fresh terms would allow Warne to invest in other areas, rather than having to find a replacement.
Further, Smith isn’t one of the bigger earners at Pride Park, so from a financial perspective, handing him a new contract should be a relatively straightforward deal to do.
Anyhow, whatever decision Warne and the board opt to make, the Norwich City academy graduate will certainly be held in high regard in this part of the East Midlands for his fantastic contributions to what is expected to be a promotion-winning campaign.
The job isn’t done yet, though.
The post Forget Mendez-Laing: 'Vital' Derby County ace has been an unsung hero for Paul Warne lately - opinion appeared first on Derby County News.