“Look quite sluggish”- Derby County urged to loan out ’intelligent’ star who made only 15 apps this seaon
Dajaune Brown proved a useful squad player for Derby County this season as they earned their survival in the Championship.
However, the youngster struggled for game time under John Eustace, and ultimately made just 15 appearances in the division all season.
Three of those appearances came as a starter, with his last game in the side coming on 21 January in a 1-0 loss to Sunderland.
With the summer transfer window now fast approaching, it remains unclear what role Brown will have in Eustace’s plans next season.
Dajaune Brown loan claim
When asked whether Brown should be loaned out or kept this summer, FLW’s Derby fan pundit Shaun Woodward claimed that a temporary switch to League One or League Two would make sense.
He believes the player just doesn’t have what it takes to compete in the Championship just yet, so should go out and get experience before being able to break into the team on a regular basis.
“I do believe Brown needs to go out on loan, I don’t think he’s ready for the Championship,” Woodward told Football League World.
“He looked quite sluggish, in my opinion, when he played for Derby.
“For a young lad, he looks like he could do with losing a few pounds and getting off the weights and getting on the cardio a bit because he looked a bit sluggish, a little bit off the pace in the Championship, no disrespect to him because I want him to do well at Derby.
“And he showed a lot of glimpses.
“Like a lot of our players, he had a few good moments, but I do believe he needs to go out on loan to a League One or League Two club, build up his minutes, get some experience under his belt and come back to Derby in a year or so’s time when he’s ready to hit the ground running.
“Because we can’t afford to have players that we’re not sure how they’re going to cope with the Championship.
“We need players that are ready-made, and if they’re not they need to be a real prospect, and I don’t think Brown’s quite there yet.”
Loan move for Brown would make sense
Brown wasn’t able to impress Eustace enough to receive game time under him in the second half of the season, so a loan move this summer would make sense.
The 19-year-old is still young and has time on his side, so a loan move to League One or Two to get experience could be great for his development.
Regular game time in a lower division will help him prepare better for the fitness levels required to compete in the Championship.
Derby will also be looking to bolster their forward options this summer, which will only knock Brown further down the pecking order, so game time at Pride Park could be harder to come by if he does stay
