Derby County fans may be shocked at ex-Rams star’s new club - He will be playing against Mendez-Laing | OneFootball

Nathaniel Mendez-Laing isn't the only Derby player to depart the club for a side in League Two this summer

Nathaniel Mendez-Laing's summer switch to MK Dons seemed peculiar at the time, as the former Derby County captain seemed to still have the ability to play for clubs in a higher division than League Two.

However, given MK's signings under Paul Warne, including the likes of Callum Paterson, Will Collar and Aaron Collins, it's clear that the Dons have title-winning aspirations, and Mendez-Laing will be a huge part of that.

However, for Tom Barkhuizen, his move down to League Two has left a few scratching their heads.

The 32-year-old has completed a move to Barrow, as the Cumbrian side look to return to a side challenging for the top seven, following a down year which saw them finish in 16th.

Funnily enough, Barrow actually finished above MK Dons last season, who wound up finishing just ten points above the drop in 19th. But the consensus is that Warne's side will be back challenging near the top, whilst Barkhuizen and Barrow will likely peter out in mid-table.

Tom Barkhuizen's League Two return seems rather underwhelming at face value

Next season will be the first that Barkhuizen has played in the fourth tier since he lined out for Morecambe during the first half of the 2016/17 season. The then-23-year-old winger scored five in 14 games before being snapped up by Preston North End in January.

Barkhuizen would then play a major role for the Lilywhites in the second division, with his best season coming in 2019/20, as he scored nine and assisted a further five as Preston finished inside the top ten for the second time in three seasons.

After departing Deepdale, he played in League One for the first time in his career at Derby and was again a major player in the side. Barkhuizen played 78 times in the third tier as the Rams secured promotion to the Championship.

The 32-year-old was a fringe player once more in the second tier at Pride Park, starting just two league games, and was understandably let go when his contract expired this summer. But many expected him to find his feet once more in League One.

Therefore, it's slightly surprising that Barkhuizen, who has 239 Championship appearances, has wound up at Barrow, who aren't a simple lock to end up promoted this season.

Many Derby fans, and Preston fans, too, on the outside looking in, may see this as a true fall from grace, but you'd expect that he'd tear apart the fourth tier as Andy Whing's side aim to make an outside dash to the play-offs in 2025/26.

Tom Barkuizen could propel Barrow to unforeseen heights

Whether Barrow were high on the odds to secure promotion from League Two or not this season, a signing of Barkhuizen's level may make some bookmakers revisit those odds heading into the new campaign.

The 32-year-old has never fully erupted in terms of scoring goals and setting them up (his best season scoring-wise came in 2011/12, where he scored just 11 times for Hereford United), but after nearly a decade's worth of experience in the Championship, where he's racked up 239 appearances, this pick up could be one of the more underrated ones in the fourth tier.

Barring the 2021/22 campaign, the winger hasn't been one to suffer from injury, constantly being available for long stretches of the season, and if Barkhuizen can play 35–40 times in League Two for Barrow, his quality, which kept him playing at a higher level, will most definitely show, and the 32-year-old could have a career year stats-wise.

Andy Whing told the club's website that Barkhuizen is "as ambitious as we are to help move the club forward," and whilst this one may seem like a strange move in the eyes of Derby fans, it could be one which delivers the Bluebirds a season in the third tier for the first time since the late 1960s.