Derby County’s Krystian Bielik believes he is progressing well under the guidance and tutelage of manager Phillip Cocu.


Bielik has proven to be a good option for Cocu so far this season, showing his versatility both in defence and midfield.

The 21-year-old, who joined the club for an undisclosed fee from Arsenal in the summer, has impressed the Rams boss with his attitude and willingness to learn since his arrival back in August.

After making his debut against Sky Bet League Two side Scunthorpe United in the Carabao Cup First Round, he has gone on to make 14 Championship appearances and has gone from strength to strength.

His fine form for the Rams was rewarded in September as he earned his first senior cap for Poland against Slovenia.


He is in line to make his fourth appearance for his national side this evening as they face Slovenia in the reverse fixture with qualification for the 2020 European Championships already sealed.

Whilst performances on the pitch have caught the eye, he has sighted the influence of Cocu as one of the main contributing factors to his successes this season.

The Rams boss has spoken at length about Bielik’s strong potential and the youngster believes he is on the right path.

“He was a great player and you can see in the meeting rooms that he explains to us how he wants us it always takes time,” Bielik said.

“I feel on the pitch we are getting there and we are getting better. I can see players feel more confident on the pitch and in training. I’m happy I’m here, and I’m happy we have this coaching staff.


“It’s always great to have a manager who was a great football player, playing in my position, because he can help and improve me.

“He can pick up on something and he can tell me what I can do better so it’s helpful.

“I speak with the manager on the training pitch and he explains some movements that I need to do. Sometimes I make a bad decision and we work on it together.

“He explains to me that I should do better or this decision wasn’t really good or there were better options around me.

“We work on it and we work on our movement on the pitch as well to think all the time about where the other players will be.

“He talks about what pockets I should run into to help my teammates around me so it’s really helpful and I’m glad he explains to me what I need to do to become a better player.”