3/1 To Win
Gary Rowett says Scott Carson is on a par with the best goalkeepers he has worked with during his career in football.
The 32-year-old yesterday put pen-to-paper on a new contract which will run until the summer of 2020, with the option of a further year.
Carson has been Derby’s first-choice between the posts ever since his arrival from Wigan Athletic in the summer of 2015.
Last season’s Player of the Year has taken his impressive form into the current campaign and was last week named as the Sky Bet Championship’s Player of the Month for December.
The vastly experienced shot-stopper has made over 400 appearances in club football and Rowett believes he is in the form of his life.
The 43-year-old played with some impressive goalkeepers during his playing career and says Carson is up there with the very best.
Considering he played with the likes of international goalkeepers Neville Southall, Mart Poom, Tim Flowers and Dean Kiely during his playing days, it goes to show how highly he rates Carson.
He told RamsTV: “Scott has been in tremendous form this season and he is in a good place mentally. He has been very consistent and a huge player in what we’re doing so far.
“I played with some very good goalkeepers, and managed some too, and Scott would definitely be on a par with anybody.
“His decision-making and calmness under pressure is excellent and his distribution, with both feet, is very good.
“His shot-stopping and saves that he has made this season have been excellent. He has made some big saves and showed his Premier League quality in the FA Cup tie at Manchester United a few weeks ago.”
Rowett says Carson is hitting his peak years – and he’s delighted that the goalkeeper has committed his future to the Rams.
Derby’s manager also feels that Carson is reaping the rewards of his continued hard work and dedication on the training ground, under the watchful eye of goalkeeping coach Kevin Poole.
“I think Scott is playing as well now as he has ever done. At 32, for a goalkeeper, you could say he is coming into his prime,” he said.
“He has great experience and knowledge that he has gained over the course of his career and to be in the form of his life is testament to how hard he’s worked. It’s not just his performances, but also the character he is in the dressing room and how fantastically he trains every day.
“That is a big part of why he is playing at the level he is. He understands what it takes day-in-day-out to perform on a game day and that is why we rate him so highly.”
Carson was due to be out of contract in the summer of 2019 after signing a new deal just over a year ago.
Rowett believes it was key to get one of the Rams’ most consistent players signed up for the long-term to ensure his situation was settled.
He explained: “I think it’s a big thing for us to make sure that the players that are imminently out of contract have their situations settled down and are committed for the future.
“It’s really good to get him committed for the long-term because we want to build for the future and not just this season.”
