John Eustace must pray Derby County don’t lose out to Celtic – He’s hitting a Rams tune right now | OneFootball

Derby County will be hoping Celtic cannot force through a move for Bobby Clark with the RB Salzburg loanee finding some good form.

Derby County have begun to find some form of late and one man that has been at the heart of it is Bobby Clark, who the Rams will now be desperate to keep hold of amid reported interest from Celtic in the January transfer window.

Having confirmed survival in the second-tier on the final day of the campaign following the appointment of former midfielder John Eustace in the early spring, Derby sought to overhaul their squad.

The Rams’ recruitment, led by Eustace, still did rely upon signing experience over the summer, with plenty of players brought in to bolster what was already an ageing squad.

One of their younger additions, though, was the loan signing of Liverpool academy graduate Bobby Clark from Austrian Bundesliga outfit Red Bull Salzburg.

Clark struggled to put a marker down in the opening few weeks of the campaign, with Derby as a team also struggling whilst Eustace tried to identify not only his preferred eleven but also a preferred system.

The former Birmingham City and Blackburn Rovers manager does now appear to have fallen upon something that is working and Clark, in a new role, has begun to find his feet in the Championship.

Bobby Clark has found some form in a new role at Derby County

Having come through the academy at Liverpool, Bobby Clark made 14 first-team appearances across all competitions for the Reds, deployed in attacking roles and viewed primarily as an attacking midfielder.

Known for being an excellent place to harness attacking talent, Clark moved to Salzburg under Jürgen Klopp’s former assistant coach Pep Lijnders, but a steep decline for Salzburg continued last season and Clark struggled to find consistency for a club and an organisation as a whole that was in flux.

A return to England in the summer saw Clark move to Derby on loan, seeking to strengthen his credentials as a technically excellent and forward-thinking midfielder, trying to find the strength and personality to play regular senior football.

However, in the opening couple of months of the campaign, Eustace appeared to insist on still deploying Clark as either a so-called ‘number 10’ or in one of the attacking positions in his often rigid three-at-the-back shape.

Following the October international break, Eustace appears to have reshaped and redefined Clark’s role and position, though, as he now plays an all-action, box-to-box midfield role.

Playing as one of the two central midfielders in a 3-4-3 shape, Clark has been given more responsibility to affect all areas of the pitch, and he is beginning to thrive.

Derby have enjoyed a five-match winning streak after their 2-1 defeat of struggling Blackburn Rovers at Ewood Park, with Clark starting and starring in midfield in the last four of those.

A style of football under Eustace that can often be stifled, or at least limited, in terms of their fluency in the final third; Clark found it tough to make an impact further forward, but an impressive range of his talents has now been shown as he balances his technical superiority over a lot of other Championship midfielders with a good work ethic and industry to his game.

Young players often take time to be moulded into the player that they will become and now, at the age of 20, and with Eustace’s guidance, Derby appear to be unearthing a real star for the middle of the pitch at Pride Park.

Derby will be keen to avoid a Celtic move for Bobby Clark

The opening few games of his career at Derby would have perhaps left Rams supporters reasonably nonplussed over a potential departure in the January transfer window.

Now, though, after his development in recent weeks in a newer role that has allowed him to find some real form for the club, there will be growing concerns over his loan move being cut short.

Reports have suggested that Celtic, who still remain without a permanent manager after the resignation of Brendan Rodgers and who currently have previously retired Martin O’Neill at the helm on an interim basis, are interested in a permanent move for the England U20 international.

Indeed, the Glaswegian giants have reportedly agreed a deal worth around £6m to sign Clark from RB Salzburg once the winter window opens, with his loan move at Derby to be cut short as a result.

If that is to be the case, then the Rams will be really disappointed to see the talented young midfielder depart Pride Park, and potentially cost them big in their promotion push.

Derby’s squad is one full of experience, but that has had its detriments, too, with little by way of simple mobility and energy; which Clark is now delivering on in abundance.

It would now be a real blow for Derby if they were to lose Clark in a move that is beyond their control, with the one-time £10 million man beginning to really show and deliver on the promise and potential of his first year or so in professional football.