Defender joins on short-term deal.

Derby County have signed experienced defender Lee Naylor on a short-term contract until the end of the season.

The 33-year-old has spent the last month training with Derby and featured for the Rams’ Under 21s against Sheffield Wednesday last week and Crewe Alexandra earlier this week.

He will provide cover for Derby’s regular left-back Craig Forsyth in the closing weeks of the campaign.

Head Coach Steve McClaren said: "Lee is an experienced player and we're pleased to have him on board for the rest of the season."


Naylor has a total of 527 appearances to his name in professional football and began his career at Wolverhampton Wanderers.

He came through the ranks at Molineux and went on to make over 300 appearances for the West Midlands outfit as well as gaining England Under 21 international honours.

He made his professional debut during the 1997/98 season and was part of Wolves’ promotion-winning team to the Premier League in 2002/03.

Naylor joined Scottish Premier League giants Celtic in the summer of 2006 for £600,000 and was a league title-winner in both the 2006/07 and 2007/08 seasons - as well as lifting the Scottish Cup in 2007.

He also gained Champions League experience at Parkhead in his 142 outings in the famous green and white hoops.

In total he spent four seasons in Scotland before returning to the Football League with Cardiff City for two seasons between 2010-2012, where he made 37 appearances.

Naylor joined League 2 side Accrington Stanley earlier this season on a short-term contract and played 14 times for James Beattie’s side before becoming a free agent.


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