Derby County: Paul Warne drills home transfer stance amid Birmingham City and Hull City advances | OneFootball

Highlights

Derby County head coach Paul Warne has made his latest admission about Max Bird's future at Pride Park as the Rams continue their pursuit of Championship football after two seasons in League One.

The Rams are currently embroiled in a fascinating race for promotion, as only eleven points separate the current top eight in the third tier as the season moves towards a defining period.

Given the squad which Warne has at his disposal, expectation levels at Pride Park and from outsiders are unsurprisingly high, and in recent weeks his players have lived up to what is demanded of them, only losing once in their last 12 league outings - a run which stretches back to October 28th.

Bird has been a regular fixture in Warne's system alongside the vastly experienced Conor Hourihane in Warne's recent use of the 4-4-1-1 system, which has brought the aforementioned string of consistent results and performances.

It was revealed back in November that both Bird and Eiran Cashin, who are two of Derby's most prized assets, would be offered fresh terms to stay in the East Midlands amid interest from clubs in higher divisions.

Whilst the Irish defender's one-year extension clause was triggered on New Year's Day, the situation surrounding his counterpart is still ongoing and Warne admits that it would be a massive aid in the club's future ambitions to keep the 23-year-old, as per BBC Radio Derby.

"He is a player I'd like to keep. I love Max," Warne began. "It would help me no end to try and keep him if we went up a league because he is a Championship midfielder, I think. And he believes he is a Championship midfielder, and so he should.

"I know there are clubs that like him, and so they should," he continued.

"Unless it is a mind-blowing offer, Max is essential to the success of this club. So I'm hopeful that by the time the end of the season comes around we could have got into a position where everyone is happy.

"If they are not and Max ends up leaving, then he goes with our blessing because he has been great for me, a great kid, trains well, plays well, lives right and still can't play the guitar as well as he wants to, but apart from that he has done everything right."

Max Bird's immediate future with Derby County

It was revealed earlier in the window by Darren Witcoop that Birmingham City and Hull City remain keen admirers of the midfielder, although Derby continued with their own stance that he's not for sale.

This comes after the Tigers - managed by former head coach Liam Rosenior - saw two bids rejected last summer.

Bird will unquestionably play a pivotal role in the centre of the park in the Rams' promotion bid, and Warne will be keen to see him prove himself once again in the Championship as a much more-developed product of the academy compared to the difficult scenario the club faced back in the 2021/22 campaign.

With contract negotiations still ongoing, even if he is to depart in the near future, it's imperative that an agreement must be reached before running the risk of potentially losing his services in the summer for nothing.

Bird