"Great publicity stunt" - Reaction given to Martyn Waghorn, Derby County update | OneFootball

The 35-year-old is back training with the Rams after announcing his retirement in February.

This article is part of Football League World's 'Terrace Talk' series, which provides personal opinions from our FLW Fan Pundits regarding the latest breaking news, teams, players, managers, potential signings and more...

Derby County head into their clash with Preston North End on Wednesday evening with the knowledge that victory will see them climb out of the relegation zone for the first time since they were beaten 4-0 by Queens Park Rangers back in February.

The Rams have been forced to wait for their return to Championship action following the Lilywhites' progression in the FA Cup, with their opponents at Pride Park heading into the game off the back of a 3-0 defeat to Aston Villa in the quarter-final of the competition.

John Eustace's side are in a rich vein of form, having won their last three matches before the international break, including a dramatic 3-2 victory over Plymouth Argyle away from home in their most recent contest.

Despite their lack of action at the weekend, it did prove to be a busy few days for Derby after they signed Erik Pieters before it was revealed by Rob Dorsett that Martyn Waghorn is back training with the club, having retired earlier this season.

Verdict made on Waghorn's return to Derby

Waghorn left the Rams at the end of last season, having scored seven goals in League One to help send the East Midlands outfit back to the Championship in just their second season in the third tier.

He joined Northampton Town in November 2024, but spent just a couple of months with the Cobblers before hanging up his boots in February after an excellent career that stretched back to 2007.

However, he is now back training at Moor Farm, helping Eustace to keep spirits high in the squad while also keeping his own fitness up.

Football League World has asked their Derby Fan Pundit, Shaun Woodward, if he has any fears of his team calling up the 35-year-old to the main squad for the final eight matches, or if he thinks that the return of Waghorn is purely to help with morale.

He told FLW: "This has to be John Eustace just trying to build up morale in the dressing room. We all know Martyn Waghorn, he's a bit of a cheeky chap, he's probably a great lad to have in the dressing room and on the training pitch.

"He's great for banter, great for morale and lifting the spirits of the team. So I can completely see why he brought him in. The fact he already knows some of the players and he knows the club means it will be a good fit for him.

"It'll keep him fit as well and get him training. But I mean he's what, 35? He's probably played half a dozen games in the last 16 months. He retired at the start of the year, so there's not a chance that he'll play for Derby, surely?

"We've got Marcus Harness, who's in great form at the moment, we've got Jerry Yates, who is leading the line. We've got options with Nathaniel Mendez-Laing and Kayden Jackson. So I don't think he would get a look-in in the squad. But I guess you can never say never."

Shaun continued: "However, to me, it's more about having someone around the team and picking them up and trying to make them feel at ease with what's going to be a really big eight games.

"So hopefully he'll help out some of the younger lads in the team just to take their minds off what is potentially a life-changing eight games for them, because some of them, if we did drop into League One, might not play for the club again.

"So it's a huge couple of months and I think maybe it is just a great publicity stunt almost from Eustace and hopefully it'll work, but I can't see him playing."

Eustace will have one difficult decision to make with his forwards this season

It seems incredibly unlikely that Waghorn will be pulled into the squad at Derby between now and the end of the season. However, Eustace does have a tough decision to make this week.

The Rams travel to Swansea City on Saturday afternoon, and they will be forced to be without Jerry Yates, with the striker currently on loan from the South Wales side.

With Kemar Roofe and Lars-Jorgen Salvesen currently out injured, Derby do not have a fit senior striker to face the Swans, and they may be forced to adapt and play without a natural number nine at the weekend.

Harness will more than likely play in his new free role, while Mendez-Laing and Jackson will battle it out to feature in the starting XI. However, Eustace may take a punt on either Charles Ebuka Agbawodikeizu or Lennon Wheeldon, and play one of the club's up-and-coming forwards.

Nevertheless, they must avoid calling up Waghorn to the team, and he must purely be used as a morale booster at the training ground.