A few players at Derby County may have already played their final game for the club as the season reaches its climax.
Derby County have entered the final stretch of their League One campaign in second position following a crucial victory over promotion rivals Bolton Wanderers. The Rams are in pole position to secure a top-two finish after creating a four-point gap on their rivals with seven games to go.
As it promises to be a nervous end to their campaign with supporters dreaming of Championship football, many have played their part in getting Derby into a prominent position.
Curtis Nelson and Eiran Cashin have been colossal defensively while assist machine Nathaniel Mendez-Laing and lethal finisher James Collins have contributed heavily in the final third.
READ MORE: Derby County star Eiran Cashin’s journey from almost released to Premier League transfer interest
Other players in Paul Warne‘s squad, meanwhile, haven’t had the luxury of securing regular minutes and some may have played their final game for the club.
Scott Loach
Scott Loach was one of the first signings of the David Clowes era. The former England under-21 international arrived as a back-up goalkeeper at Pride Park and he’s lived up to that tag.
During his time at Derby, the 35-year-old has only made three appearances, all of which came in the EFL Trophy last season.
Yet to feature for Warne this term after playing understudy to Joe Wildsmith and Josh Vickers, it’s likely his appearance against Manchester City under-21s in October 2022 proves to be his last for the club.
Loach’s contract expires in the summer and it’s unlikely they’ll renew it, especially if promotion to the Championship is secured.
Tyrese Fornah
Derby signed Tyrese Fornah from bitter rivals Nottingham Forest last summer.
The 23-year-old has only made nine starts in League One since arriving at Pride Park and has found it difficult to dislodge one of Max Bird and Conor Hourihane in midfield.
Ebou Adams‘ arrival in January has made it even harder for the midfielder to break into the side and hasn’t made the matchday squad in 11 of their last 17 matches.
Sadly, the tough-tackling midfielder hasn’t lived up to the hype and although Derby supporters have called for him to feature more, he could likely depart in the summer.
Warne has hinted at wholesale changes to the playing staff, and Fornah could be one of several players on the chopping block.
Tyreece John-Jules
Derby captured Tyreece John-Jules on loan from Arsenal last summer and his time at the club has spiralled into a nightmare.
The striker has suffered from injury issues, with the latest hamstring problem set to keep him out for the rest of the season.
As a result, the 22-year-old has only started two matches for Derby this term, scoring in the 1-0 win over Port Vale in November.
Hailed as the “complete” player by Arsenal boss Mikel Arteta, John-Jules is a promising young striker whose development is being hampered by injuries, and that means his 27-minute cameo against Reading in January may well have been his final bit of action for the Rams.