"A tough one" - Claim made on Liam Thompson's future at Derby County | OneFootball

The midfielder will leave the club at the end of the season if he is not offered a new deal.

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's season has been a rollercoaster, and after a superb start to life back in the Championship, the last couple of months have been incredibly difficult.

Paul Warne was sacked by the Rams on Friday afternoon after a run of seven straight league defeats and just four wins in 26 games, but a point against Norwich City on Saturday has renewed hopes that the East Midlands outfit can pull themselves out of the relegation zone and towards safety.

John Eustace looks incredibly likely to take over at Pride Park in the coming days, despite taking Blackburn Rovers into the play-off places and supporters will be incredibly excited to see the former midfielder return to DE24 if he is allowed to leave Ewood Park.

Nevertheless, whoever Derby bring in as the new manager will have plenty to sort both on the pitch and off it, including the contract situations of nine players. However, one of the impending decisions may cause a divide among the fanbase.

Verdict made on Liam Thompson's future at Derby

Liam Thompson made his way through the Rams' academy during the same period of time as Eiran Cashin, Louie Sibley and Max Bird, but following the departures of the trio, he is now the sole survivor of the club's 2018/19 U18 Premier League winning team.

His contract was renewed for another season following promotion from League One last summer, and his future is now up for debate once again.

Football League World has asked their Derby Fan Pundit, Shaun Woodward, if he believes the club should renew his deal for an extra year before the season comes to an end.

"With Liam Thompson it’s a tough one for me because when he first broke into the team he looked really good," he started. "He looked like he was destined to be a good Championship player, however, the last couple of seasons and most of this one, he looks like he's gone backwards.

"I don't know whether that's because of Paul Warne, I don't know. Maybe a new manager will get more out of him, but he hasn't looked as good as he did when he first came through.

"I know there's a good player in there and I'm not saying he's not a worker because he gives his all for the club. I just don't know whether he's got the talent for the Championship."

Shaun continued: "It's a tough one because I want him to do well, but he really hasn't pulled up any trees this season. Like I said, he gives his all for the club, but is he going to push on and take us to that next level and cement his place in that midfield? I'm not sure.

"I want to see how the new manager plays him and whether he gets a tune out of him, so he's probably on trial now for the next 15 games to see how he does and whether he earns a new contract or not."

Thompson's injury record is a cause for concern

Although supporters want to see as many academy graduates in the team as possible, Thompson's injury record has meant that his appearances have been few and far between in the last couple of seasons.

He has never been able to lock down a place in the starting XI consistently, and this is a huge cause for concern for the Rams.

Thompson's output in terms of goals and assists is also not extraordinary, but he does often play in a deeper role that does not allow him to get into positions to be able to get shots off.

Nevertheless, the 22-year-old's versatility is excellent, and he proved that on Saturday against Norwich by playing at right wing-back. Although not a natural position, he was extremely patient and disciplined, and more performances like that may just work him into the new manager's plans at Derby.