The Rams academy youngster was compared by some fans to Pride Park cult hero Will Hughes.
Despite Derby County’s pre-season 2-0 defeat to Girona coming under criticism from a number of Rams fans on Twitter, there were some positives as a couple of Derby players impressed in the stifling heat at Pride Park.
Head coach Phillip Cocu made ten changes to the starting line-up that began the 5-2 victory over Burton Albion at the weekend, with Everton loanee Kieran Dowell the only player who began both games.
Girona captain Alex Granell’s deflected strike gave the Segunda Division outfit an early lead, before Kevin Soni added a second goal just after the hour mark to hand Cocu his first defeat of the pre-season programme.
Louie Sibley, Derby’s 2017-18 Academy Player of the Year (official website), did well following his introduction in the second half of the game, and a number of Rams fans praised the 17-year-old on social media:
Sibley is one of 10 Derby academy players who, earlier this month, officially penned professional contracts to move from the Under-18s to the Under-23s, along with Jordan Brown, Callum Minkley, Connor Dixon, Lee Buchanan, Morgan Whittaker, Jason Knight, Tyree Wilson, Yoann Greco and Sam French, as reported by the Derby website.
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