Tyrese Fornah? 3 Derby County players that need to prove a point in pre-season or risk 2024/25 axe | OneFootball

It's an important season at Pride Park for these three players

managed to regain their Championship status for 2024/25 after a two-season absence, but with that, there may be some re-evaluation of the current squad.

The Rams head to Spain to face Stockport County as part of their pre-season training, before returning to complete a few fixtures on home soil ahead of their second-tier opener against Blackburn Rovers on 9 August.

There are players in the Pride Park ranks who will want to use those opportunities to prove how important they can be for Paul Warne's squad ahead of the new campaign.

Here, FLW takes a look at three players that will likely fall into that category...

Tyrese Fornah

Tyrese Fornah joined the Rams last summer from Nottingham Forest, following a successful loan spell with Reading, for an undisclosed fee, signing a two-year deal in the process.

The 24-year-old has struggled to recreate the promise shown for the Royals, however, making just 19 League One appearances for Derby last season, only nine of which were from the start.

His age and previous experience mean that he will retain a considerable transfer value and if Warne assesses that the new campaign could be more of the same for Fornah, it would make sense to cash in now with his deal due to expire next summer.

If Fornah wants to stay and prove himself at Pride Park, then this pre-season could be an important time to make his case to the manager. The argument for a sale looks like a relatively strong one.

Jake Rooney

Through no fault of his own, Jake Rooney enters the new season with something to prove at Derby, but with his family links to former Rams player and manager, Wayne, he's probably used to the pressure.

Early last season, the 20-year-old suffered an ACL injury to his right knee in the Rams' match againstBolton Wanderers, ruling him out of action for the rest of the season.

Regardless of what stage of pre-season or the early Championship season he returns, he will need to put in considerable work to ensure he's part of Warne's plans.

He has shown great promise but has only made 21 appearances since he joined from Burnley in 2022 and is yet to appear beyond the third tier in senior football.

Like Fornah, his age means he will still command a strong value in any potential sale, which means he has the unenviable task of both proving he's up to the level and also that he has come back from his injury as the same player, to avoid being considered for the transfer list.

No doubt Warne will give him the time he needs, but the early part of the new campaign will be crucial for Rooney to clear those initial hurdles.

Conor Washington

The Northern Ireland international arrived at Pride Park from former club Rotherham United, in a deal that, as was later revealed, will only cost the Rams a transfer fee after certain milestones are reached.

One term was thought to be promotion, which was triggered, but payment is not yet expected due to the number of appearances Washington has made.

In 19 League One outings last term, a season that featured a lengthy interruption for Washington through injury, he managed just three goals and two assists. He does have strong Championship pedigree but, now 32 years old, there may be some worries about him making the step back up after a relatively quiet third-tier campaign.

The fee thought to be owed to Rotherham in the event of him hitting a certain number of appearances is only five figures, so will not make or break the club, but Derby will likely want to avoid paying it if they predict getting little in return.

Washington has been a striker in the game long enough to understand the expectations placed on him. With a year still left to run on his Derby deal, he will need to hit the ground running in pre-season if he wants to make himself a primary figure at Pride Park next term.