Former Derby County hero Curtis Davies has now revealed what Phillip Cocu told him privately after he was sacked by the club.
Phillip Cocu was appointed manager of Derby County in the summer of 2019, taking over from Frank Lampard, who had just guided the Rams to a top-six finish.
Although Derby were beaten in the Championship play-off final by Aston Villa, there was confidence that with Cocu at the helm, they could go one better.
The Rams flirted with the idea of a top-six finish in the following season but fell short as the Dutchman led them to a 10th-place finish.
Cocu was then sacked by Derby in November 2020 after collecting just one win from their opening 11 games, leaving them bottom of the second tier.
Wayne Rooney then tookover and rescued the Rams from relegation, as they finished one point above 22nd-place Wycombe Wanderers on the final day.
What Curtis Davies thought of Phillip Cocu
Curtis Davies was a key player for Derby after joining from Hull City in 2017.
The battle-hardened centre-back made 175 appearances for the club before leaving for Cheltenham Town in 2023.
Davies, now 38, recently hung up his boots in September and is spending some of his free time reflecting on his career.
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Whilst he enjoyed most of his career at Pride Park, the Englishman recalls not being wanted by Cocu when he first arrived at the club however, the Dutchman began to respect what a brilliant player he was.
Detailing a private conversation he had with Cocu, Davies explained on the Essential EFL podcast: “With me personally, he didn’t want me in his team at first, but always had to come back to me because kind of he’d realised soon enough that English football is slightly different.
“But I respect him because when he eventually left and got the sack, he pulled me to a side. He said Curtis, he goes, I have to say to you, so many times I’ve not had you in my team, and then I’ve had to put you back in, and then maybe I’ll see something and I want to try and take you out again, and I have to put you back in.
“He goes, the resilience that you’ve shown, even at your age, we could just walk away and go somewhere else.
“He was fantastic, he goes, I have to give you so much respect and credit for that, and I thought, do you know what, for whatever relationship we had, we didn’t have a frosty relationship, we were just, a manager doesn’t want to play a player, and a player wants to play, which is fine.”
Curtis Nelson replaced Davies at Derby
When Davies left Pride Park last year, Paul Warne needed to sign an equally experienced defender who could fill his void both on and off the pitch.
Luckily, Warne managed to snap up Curtis Nelson on a free transfer after he left Blackpool, and the 31-year-old played a pivotal role in helping the Rams win promotion.
The colossal Englishman kept an incredible 22 clean sheets alongside Eiran Cashin, and the pair have since continued their excellent partnership in the Championship.
READ MORE: Derby County star Eiran Cashin’s journey from almost released to Premier League transfer interest
As far as bargains go, signing Nelson is up there with one of Derby’s greatest ever in recent times, and his impact speaks volumes.