Dajaune Brown became the latest Derby County academy star to announce himself to the Rams faithful, and he isn’t the only one who has shown promise in the youth setup.
Last season, Brown spent the second half of the last campaign on loan at National League side Gateshead, where he scored six goals in seven starts.
Many expected Paul Warne to loan the 19-year-old out once more this term but the Derby County boss had other ideas, and he’s since featured three times from the bench in the Championship.
Brown announced himself to the Derby faithful in a spectacular style on Saturday, coming off the bench to equalise against Hull City, seeing his header from a set-piece loop over goalkeeper Ivor Pandur.
Tipped to become the next big thing at Pride Park, the teenager sadly saw his cameo cut short, as the striker was substituted with a suspected injury and replaced by Nathaniel Phillips in the 89th minute.
Warne has since confirmed that Brown pulled his hamstring and could be out for between four to six weeks, which is a crushing blow to the forward.
Luckily, he isn’t the only promising young striker Warne has at his disposal in the academy, with one player scoring goals for fun.
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Lennon Wheeldon could be Derby’s next Dajaune Brown
Lennon Wheeldon is an incredible ‘old fashioned’ forward who is currently scoring goals for fun in Derby’s under-21s.
Wheeldon recently scored his first goal for England’s under-19s against France, as the Three Lions secured an impressive 4-2 victory.
A third call-up to the national side was a reward for Wheeldon’s ‘excellent’ form at club level, with the 18-year-old scoring in his first three Premier League 2 appearances this term, including a strike in a 3-2 loss against Manchester City.
Described as an ‘impressive’ talent by Derby County’s website, the 2006-born forward could become the Rams’ next brilliant homegrown striker, perhaps following in the same footsteps as Brown.
Derby’s most promising youngsters
Wheeldon isn’t the only young player making a name for himself in the youth set-up, as there are plenty of other talents threatening to make a first-team breakthrough.
Midfielder Cruz Allen was wanted by Chelsea and Manchester United earlier this year before signing a new contract till 2026, and the Welsh under-18 international has appeared six times for the under-21s this term despite being just 17.
Allen is joined by forward Emmanuel Ilesanmi and centre-back Keilen Robinson as two other promising youngsters emerging from the under-21s, with the former scoring and assisting in his first three appearances this term.