Wed 01 Jan
Time to read: 2mins
Centre-back to remain with the Rams for the rest of the season.
Derby County have extended defender Zak Whitbread’s loan spell from fellow Sky Bet Championship side Leicester City until the end of the season.
The 29-year-old centre-back penned a three-month loan deal with Derby at the end of September and an agreement has been reached to extend his stay at the iPro Stadium until the end of the campaign.
American-born Whitbread scored on his debut in Derby’s 4-4 draw with Ipswich Town in October and was named in the starting XI for Steve McClaren’s first two matches in charge of the Rams, against Leeds United and Watford, before picking up a calf injury.
He has returned to fitness in recent weeks and was an unused substitute in Derby’s festive matches against Huddersfield Town and Barnsley.
With skipper Richard Keogh out with a medial ligament injury and Republic of Ireland Under 21 international Mark O’Brien only just returning to fitness after a long-term knee injury, McClaren has opted to retain Whitbread’s services and strengthen his defensive options.
Although born in Texas and capped at Under 20 level by his country, Whitbread came through the ranks at Liverpool and after making seven appearances for the Reds, he moved to Millwall in 2005, initially on loan, before sealing a permanent move to The Den.
He was a regular in the Millwall side before joined Norwich City in January 2010 as they were promoted from League 1 and he was key member of the squad as they sealed promotion to the Premier League during the 2010/11 season.
He later went on to join Leicester City in the summer of 2012 on a free transfer and was part of their squad that reached the Championship Playoffs.
In total, he has made 198 career appearances in English football – scoring six goals.
