Derby County will be hoping to banish the memories of what was an extremely disappointing 2020/21 campaign by making a positive start to the new Championship season next month.

Whilst many of the Rams' second-tier rivals have managed to bolster their squads in recent weeks, Wayne Rooney's side were only granted the opportunity to make signings by the EFL earlier this week.

Whereas Derby are only able to secure the services of loan players on six-month deals, they can offer free-agents one-year contracts as long as they do not breach the salary cap that has been imposed on them.

Considering that the Rams are set to face Huddersfield Town in the Championship on August 7th, it wouldn't be at all surprising if they opt to draft in several individuals in the coming weeks.

One of the players who is currently on Rooney's radar is former Queens Park Rangers midfielder Tom Carroll.

According to the Derby Telegraph, the 29-year-old is training with the Rams and could be in line to feature for the club in their pre-season friendly with Salford City this weekend.

Without a club following his decision to part ways with QPR earlier this summer, Carroll is currently available on a free transfer and thus the Rams may be tempted to swoop for him.

Certainly no stranger to life in the Championship, the midfielder has made 82 appearances in this division during his career and thus knows exactly what it takes to compete at this level.

After starting 19 of QPR's opening 23 league games last season, Carroll suffered a serious knee injury earlier this year which forced him to watch on from the sidelines for the remainder of the campaign.

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Having previously featured for Derby in this division during the 2011/12 campaign, it will be intriguing to see whether Carroll returns to Pride Park this summer.

Considering that the midfielder only managed to average an underwhelming WhoScored match rating of 6.42 in the Championship last season, he may not necessarily be an upgrade on the club's existing central midfield options as Max Bird, Jason Knight and Graeme Shinnie all recorded better totals at this level.

Furthermore, there is also no guarantee that Carroll will be able to maintain his fitness over the course of the upcoming campaign.

Keeping this in mind, Rooney may find it beneficial to steer clear of a move for the midfielder if Carroll is unable to showcase his talent in the coming days.

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