Derby County should jump at chance to loan Newcastle United’s Adam Armstrong

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Newcastle United want to loan Adam Armstrong out again after spells at Coventry City and Barnsley – but could Derby County be the next step?

Any Newcastle United fans who may have wanted Adam Armstrong to finally be given his chance on Tyneside look set to be disappointed. Because, according to The Chronicle, the Championship title winners are set to farm the gifted striker out for a third successive season.

Armstrong only recently returned from a season’s loan at Barnsley, his underwhelming tally of six goals in 21 games suggesting he has a long way to go before he can earn a place in Rafael Benitez’s plans.

The Chronicle reports Barnsley would be interested in signing the Chapel House-born striker again this summer while Bradford, who made an approach last year, will once again be circling.

Yet, with Newcastle determined to keep Armstrong developing in the Championship, perhaps Derby County should make their interest known. After all, it appears that the lack of a reliable goalscorer is the major issue facing The Rams as they aim to push for the top six next season.

Ram-raid

Only Tom Ince and the revived Darren Bent hit double figures this campaign and, despite the latter recently inking a contract extension, it’s clear that manager Gary Rowett needs to add to his attacking options – especially with the likes of Matej Vydra and Johnny Russell flattering to deceive.

And while Armstrong was far from prolific at Oakwell, his 20-goal season at Coventry in 2015/16 (below) proved that he has the raw attributes to develop into one of the division’s most lethal centre-forwards if handed regular opportunities from the start.

With the likes of Ince and Will Hughes supplying the bullets, Armstrong would surely not be short of ammunition at Pride Park.

And a move could benefit all parties long-term. If the 20-year-old found form at Derby, he could fire them into the top six before returning to Newcastle with his reputation and first-team prospects enhanced.