Derby County’s track record for producing talented youngsters through their academy is impressive and several will be looking to catch Paul Warne’s eye in pre-season.
The blueprint is there for Derby to blood more youngsters through their prestigious youth academy.
Having watched the likes of Eiran Cashin, Louie Sibley and Liam Thompson blossom into first-team stars, motivation has been passed down to the next generation to follow suit.
It’s refreshing to see a club give their youth a chance, and while they’ve made some fatal errors previously – including the decision to offload Archie Brown in 2021 – the Rams will want to avoid making a similar mistake with their next generation of stars.
With that being said, here are three youngsters who will be looking to impress Paul Warne in pre-season…
Jake Rooney
Jake Rooney is the most promising defender to emerge from the youth system since Cashin.
The 20-year-old was captured on a permanent deal from Burnley in August 2022 and made his first-team debut in a 2-1 win over Mansfield in the Carabao Cup shortly after signing.
That was one of 18 appearances he made in the senior side during the 2022/23 campaign, with Warne looking to make him a fully-fledged member in the following.
Sadly, the talented ball-playing defender was denied that chance after rupturing his knee ligaments in September’s defeat to Bolton after starting in wins over Peterborough and Fleetwood.
Rooney has since impressed the medical staff with how quickly he’s recovering from such a serious injury and will be looking to impress Warne in pre-season.
Derby have Cashin, Curtis Nelson and Sonny Bradley as senior centre-back options, so the youngster could cement his place as fourth choice.
Cruz Allen
Cruz Allen is a Welsh under-17 international who has shone in the middle of the park for Derby’s under-18 side this term.
The 2007-born midfield metronome has plundered seven goals and supplied five assists in 17 league appearances, including a stunning goal against Manchester United.
Allen received interest from the Red Devils in November last year, as per the Daily Mail, with the Red Devils monitoring the teenager alongside Newcastle United and Chelsea.
However, the 17-year-old put those rumours to bed by signing his first professional contract in March which runs till the summer of 2026.
With Warne suffering from a lack of options in midfield currently, an impressive run of form in pre-season could see the youngster earn an opportunity to shine, just like Max Bird did many years ago.
Dajaune Brown
The most exciting youngster to emerge from Derby’s academy in recent times, Dajaune Brown is riding a crest after an incredible loan spell at Gateshead.
The highly-rated striker fired six goals in seven National League starts for the Tynesiders whilst also scoring the winning penalty in the FA Trophy final against Solihull Moors.
Brown wrote his name into Gateshead folklore during his five months at the club and manager Rob Elliott labelled him a “diamond”, claiming if he was a Premier League manager he’d use him from the bench.
A loan spell in the fifth tier of English football worked a treat for the 18-year-old and while another loan would be beneficial, he can certainly catch Warne’s eye in pre-season.
As the saying goes, if you’re good enough, you’re old enough and Brown has shown he’s more than capable of being a top asset for Derby in the future.
And who knows, perhaps he’ll be ripping up Championship defences very soon.
The post Cashin heir & teenage ‘diamond’: 3 Derby County starlets who can catch Warne’s eye in pre-season - opinion appeared first on Derby County News.