A youngster sold by Derby County in 2021 has just made his international debut at 17-years-old.
Derby County’s academy is incredible at producing talent. The Rams have watched several youngsters rise to first-team stardom over the years.
Derby have a category-one setup, placing them amongst the Premier League’s elite for their academy.
Several youngsters have flourished through their development centre, with academy graduates Will Hughes, Jason Knight, Max Bird, Eiran Cashin, Liam Thompson and Louie Sibley all clear examples of the pathway to first-team football.
The Rams have shown they can produce high-level talent and other clubs tend to snap up some of their players as youngsters.
During their dark period of administration in 2021, Derby were forced into selling left-back Archie Brown and attacking midfielder Omari Kellyman to Aston Villa in 2022.
Sadly, those youngsters weren’t the only two talents to jump ship as James Scanlon left Pride Park to join Manchester United.
Now a regular in the Red Devils underage sides, Scanlon has just achieved something that most footballers can only dream of.
James Scanlon makes international debut
Scanlon was called into the Gibraltar squad for the first time this week. Aged just 17, the former Derby talent came off the bench in a relegation play-off against Lithuania.
Although his side lost 1-0 and dropped down to Nations League D, it was a close result considering the minnows were hammered 14-0 by France during Euro 2024 qualifying.
The Man United wonderkid was a 74th-minute substitute, with his side 1-0 down before entering the fray.
This could be the first of many appearances for the teenager, who is also eligible to play for England. But having represented Gibraltar at youth level, the under-17s and under-21s, they decided to fast-track him into the senior set-up.
Scanlon is also flourishing for his club having scored four goals in nine appearances for the under-18s. He’s also got one assist in four matches for the under-21s, a timely reminder of the talent Derby had snatched from them.
Who are Derby’s most promising youngsters
Derby are left feeling sad about losing some of their best talents, but when they have more in reserve, it is clear to see why their academy is one of the best.
The Rams have many talented youngsters pushing for a place in the first team. Cruz Allen, who just signed a new contract at Pride Park after attracting interest from some top clubs, is one of them.
The attacking midfielder has netted five goals and supplied five assists in the under-18 Premier League while also flourishing at under-21 level with three goals in six matches.
Allen is one player destined for greatness, while another is Dajaune Brown.
Brown rose to prominence as a goal machine for the under-21s with six goals in nine Premier League 2 appearances before joining Gateshead on loan in January.
The 18-year-old has only started twice but has still managed to net three goals and that just shows how clinical he is.
Scanlon may have departed three years ago, but Allen and Brown are paving the way for the next generation of talent.