Derby County have a number of central midfielders.
Derby County manager Nigel Pearson
Derby County started the summer with as many as seven central midfielders vying for a first-team spot, therefore it came as little surprise to see Jeff Hendrick sold to Burnley on deadline day.
New boss Nigel Pearson hasn’t made the best of starts to life as Derby manager, yet one area in which he can have no excuses over is the quality at his disposal in central midfield.
Here is how we rank the Rams midfield starting from the best and working our way down.
Derby’s Will Hughes
1) Will Hughes
Will Hughes isn’t just Derby’s best midfielder, he is without doubt the most technically gifted player at the club and it’s only a matter of time before he’s playing Premier League football – with or without the Rams.
The England Under-21 international has made over 120 Championship appearances despite his young age, and with Derby he has played a key role in two play-off campaigns.
Hughes has superb vision, excellent ball control and on his day can completely run a midfield. However, a lack of goals is an area to improve and so far this season he has underperformed somewhat.
Leeds’ Lewis Cook in action with Derby’s George Thorne
2) George Thorne
Derby’s first-choice defensive midfielder is arguably the Championship’s best in his position, with the former West Bromwich Albion man equally apt both in and out of possession.
Injuries have been a major problem throughout his career thus far, however, and since signing for the Rams he has only managed to make a total of 33 league appearances as a result of his battle for fitness.
Matt Phillips in action with Derby County’s Jacob Butterfield
3) Jacob Butterfield
Jacob Butterfield is now arguably Derby’s most likely goalscorer from midfield, and despite being in and out of the side last season he still managed to net an impressive seven goals.
He is the club’s best striker of the ball from range, while his passing ability isn’t too shabby either.
However, he has struggled for form under new boss Nigel Pearson and now tasked with a different role in a 4-4-2 formation, Butterfield is often far too deep to make any sort of attacking impact.
Nottingham Forest Chris Cohen in action against Derby County’s Craig Bryson
4) Craig Bryson
Bryson is one of Derby’s longest-serving players now, though his ability to make a difference has waned.
During the 2013-14 campaign he played further up the field and linked up with striker Chris Martin to devastating effect, scoring 16 league goals and adding plenty of assists too.
Since then, though, the 29-year-old doesn’t seem to venture as far forward and his abundance of energy and movement in midfield no longer serves its purpose when the team now favours a counterattacking style.
Bradley Johnson of Derby County in action with Emerson Hyndman of Fulham
5) Bradley Johnson
Johnson arrived at Derby for a club-record fee from Norwich City, and it looked for a while like he may have been the missing piece to the promotion jigsaw such was his immediate impact.
However, 2016 has been a poor year for the former Leeds United man and he has now dropped way down the midfield pecking order and in the estimation of the Derby supporters.
Johnson has physical attributes and is arguably the club’s strongest midfielder in that aspect, yet on the ball he hasn’t lived up to expectations and for the money spent many hoped for better.
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