Derby County’s sole focus is on winning promotion back to the Championship, but in the background, there are 12 players whose contracts are expiring, including Louie Sibley.
A product of Derby County’s academy, Louie Sibley is one of several first-team stars at risk of departing the club in June with top scorer James Collins, veteran left-back Craig Forsyth and midfield maestro Conor Hourihane all on that list.
It means that several players are playing for their futures at Pride Park as the Rams battle to secure automatic promotion to the Championship.
Sibley is the longest-serving of the players out of contract after joining Derby at the age of eight and establishing himself as a key player in the first team.
Hailed as the next big thing when he burst onto the scene as a 17-year-old in the 2019/20 season, there was a lot of hype and excitement surrounding him.
Operating as an attacking midfielder, Sibley initially justified the hype by scoring five goals in his first 11 Championship appearances.
However, it is fair to say that he hasn’t reached the heights that many expected despite turning out for his boyhood club on 163 occasions.
Sibley, like many youngsters, has become a victim of his own success and has failed to kick on in the past few years.
He’s never settled into one position and has been utilised in various areas on the pitch, including as a right winger, central midfielder, left winger and most recently, left wing-back.
After failing to produce regular consistency in attacking roles, making just 13 starts in League One this term, the 22-year-old could resurrect his career at Pride Park by playing as a left wing-back.
Louie Sibley can be reborn as a left wing-back
Although Warne would perhaps prefer using Sibley in an attacking role, injuries to Callum Elder and Craig Forsyth have reduced Derby to the bare bones.
The Rams boss used Eiran Cashin on the left side of defence in the defeat to Charlton Athletic and although he looked assured, a switch to a three-at-the-back system saw Sibley used as a left wing-back against Port Vale.
It was a tactical decision from Warne, along with Joe Ward on the other flank, that worked a treat as the academy graduate scored a brace.
In recent years, those performances have been few and far between but after impressing in that position, Warne could choose to use him there moving forward.
It’s a role that can bring the best out of the player, who was once labelled as “outstanding” while allowing him to prove to the club he’s worthy of a new deal.
Certainly, if he follows up Saturday’s display with plenty more promising outings before the campaign ends, Sibley is a talent they can ill afford to let go on a free transfer.