£10m Rangers talk will only heighten Derby County’s 2021 transfer regret: View | OneFootball

The 23-year-old is a product of the Rams academy, but struggle during his time at Pride Park.

Highlights

Morgan Whittaker, 23, has come on leaps and bounds since he left Derby County three years ago, and now the Plymouth Argyle forward has been linked with a move to a Scottish giant.

Derby sold their academy graduate to Swansea City on deadline day of the 2021 January transfer window, after he struggled to properly break into the first-team at Pride Park.

He made 32 appearances for the Rams in total, scoring just once, in the final game of the 2019/20 season in a 3-1 victory away to Birmingham City.

However, he has finally fulfilled his potential after leaving South Wales to join Plymouth, and will be under the guidance of former teammate and manager, Wayne Rooney, if he sees out the summer still in Devon.

But, with links to a move abroad in January with Lazio, it may be hard for the Pilgrims to keep hold of their superstar this month with Rangers interested.

Whittaker excelled in Derby's youth squads but struggled with the step-up

The hometown academy graduate was prolific for both the U23s and U18s while at Derby, scoring 31 goals during his two full seasons with the latter - with 27 coming in the U18 Premier League.

He helped the young Rams to a historic title win during the 2018/19 season before he was moved up to the U23s.

His exploits also led him to a fantastic European campaign with Derby, finding the back of the net five times in four UEFA Youth League games, including a hat-trick against Belarusian side FC Minsk, while also picking up two assists against Borussia Dortmund.

However, on his promotion to the first-team he struggled to get among the goals, and despite making 32 appearances in all competitions, he was sold to Swansea just 17 months later, where he scored his second career league goal against Derby.

Plymouth have brought the best out of Whittaker

It took a move to the south-west for Whittaker to finally shine once again, joining Plymouth originally on loan in 2022 before being recalled and eventually making the move permanent last summer for over £1 million.

Playing from either flank, the 23-year-old scored 19 Championship goals in 2023/24, keeping the Pilgrims in the league following their promotion.

A move to Italy was turned down in January by his club, with Whittaker too important to lose at a pivotal time in the season.

However, this summer he has attracted the attention of Rangers, as well as Brentford and Wolverhampton Wanderers, and it will be tough for new manager Rooney to keep hold of his prolific youngster, as he eyes the lofty heights of European and Premier League football.

Being allowed to be the main star at Argyle has worked wonders for Whittaker, and he has been able to settle in over the course of his year and a half at Home Park.

That has led to him being valued at £10 million by his club, a Rangers pursue a deal and contemplate getting it done before August 30th, a fee that would have looked astronomical three years ago when he first departed Derby, and now the Rams may feel regret that they did not get the best out of one of their own, especially if the move to Scotland does go ahead and an eight-figure fee is pocketed.