Paul Warne may already have a replacement for Dwight Gayle lined up if he departs Derby County in the summer.
Derby County pressed their fingers firmly on the panic button after top scorer James Collins damaged knee ligaments in the 3-0 victory over Exeter City last month.
Reacting promptly to this news, Paul Warne pounced at the opportunity to bring Dwight Gayle to Pride Park on a free transfer.
The 34-year-old was fresh from an underwhelming spell at Stoke City but boasted the experience at Championship and Premier League level to be an astute acquisition.
It’s early days in his Derby career but Gayle is already looking like an excellent piece of business, following up on his promising full debut against Charlton Athletic with a goal in the 3-0 win over Port Vale.
Gayle, who previously fired Newcastle United to the top flight in 2017, boasts the pedigree to follow suit in League One.
In the three matches he’s played so far, you can see that he’s one step ahead of defenders and former Derby striker Malcolm Christie believes he’s one of the best in the division.
Despite receiving such high praise, the veteran was only signed on a short-term deal till the end of the season and it’s unlikely he’ll be offered fresh terms given his age.
Derby should instead look to the future by replacing Gayle with promising young striker Dajaune Brown.
A bright future awaits Dajaune Brown
Brown looks like one of the most promising talents to emerge from Derby’s academy in recent years.
The teenager has bagged goals for fun in the underage groups. In the under-18s Premier League last term, he scored nine goals in as many games and has continued such blistering form across to the under-21s.
Including a brace against Manchester City, one of the best academies in the country, Brown scored six times in nine appearances this term before sealing a loan move to National League side Gateshead.
Although the 18-year-old is still waiting to make his first start, he has scored from the bench in his last two matches, including a 96th-minute equaliser against Boreham Wood – his first senior goal.
Brown will now hope to play a huge part in the play-off chasers campaign before returning to Pride Park and attempting to break into the first-team.
With Gayle potentially on his way out in the summer and the likes of Martyn Waghorn and Collins in their thirties, it could be time for Warne to unleash his “spectacular” wonderkid next season.
After all, Derby have seen Louie Sibley, Max Bird and Eiran Cashin all flourish as youngsters in the first-team with Brown now aiming to follow that trend.