Derby County will be looking to build upon their recent penalty shoot-out victory over Salford City in the Carabao Cup when they return to Championship action tomorrow.
Set to face Peterborough United in the second-tier, it will be intriguing to see whether the Rams are able to seal all three points at the Weston Homes Stadium.
Whereas Derby were forced to settle for a draw in their clash with Huddersfield Town, they did show signs of promise during this particular fixture.
Manager Wayne Rooney was finally able to bolster his squad earlier this month as he managed to seal moves for Ravel Morrison, Richard Stearman, Ryan Allsop whilst Curtis Davies opted to sign a new contract following the expiry of his previous deal.
Although the Derby boss is seemingly not content with these aforementioned arrivals, he currently cannot add to his squad due to the fact that the club currently have a full quota of 23 players who are deemed to be of a professional standing.
Despite the fact that the Rams will need to move on senior players in order to make further moves during the summer window, Rooney has revealed that he is unwilling to sanction any departures.
A report from the Ipswich Star on Monday suggested that Graeme Shinnie was being tracked by Ipswich Town whilst Lee Buchanan was recently linked with a shock move to Nottingham Forest.
Speaking to the Derby Telegraph ahead of his side's meeting with Peterborough about the Rams' current situation, Rooney said: "No new players can come in at the minute, no under-23 players can be promoted to the first-team at the minute.
"So it's a tough one.
"It is a tough position to be in for those Academy lads stuck in the 23s and no progression for them, it is very tough.
Rooney later added: "The squad is very, very thin and for any senior players to leave will be impossible at the minute."
GIVEMESPORT's Joshua Cole says...
Considering that Derby are still operating under a strict transfer embargo, Rooney unquestionably has an incredibly difficult task on his hands at Pride Park.
However, with the Rams seemingly unwilling to sell some of their prized assets, it wouldn't be at all surprising if they go on to achieve a relative amount of success in the Championship in the coming weeks with the likes of Shinnie and Buchanan in their side.
Whereas Shinnie managed to illustrate that he is more than capable of competing at this level last season by averaging a WhoScored match rating of 6.86, Buchanan has the potential to become a key player for Derby due to his abundance of talent.
Providing that Morrison and Stearman are able to make positive starts to their stints with the Rams, there is every chance that the club could give their supporters something to shout about in the second-tier during the current campaign.
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