3/1 To Win
Wayne Rooney is confident that Phil Jagielka and Sam Baldock will prove to be good additions to Derby County’s squad.
The experienced duo signed short-term contracts on Tuesday morning which will run until January 2022.
Jagielka, 39, and Baldock, 32, spent most of pre-season training with Rooney’s squad as free agents and featured in handful of friendly matches.
The pair, as is expected with their respective ages, bring a vast amount of experience to the squad and Rooney is convinced they will prove their worth moving forward.
Jagielka and Baldock could make their debuts for Derby in Wednesday evening’s Sky Bet Championship fixture at Hull City (7:45pm kick-off).
“I’m really pleased to have them back with us and they’ll be good additions to the squad,” Rooney told RamsTV. “They did pre-season here and it’s nice to have them in the building again.
“They bring more experience to the squad; Phil has played at the highest level for a long time, and in the Championship, and Sam has experience across the EFL too.
“Phil knows the game and reads things very well; he will bring a calmness to our game. Sam is a threat in behind teams, we saw that in pre-season and he can score goals.”
He added: “Their experience is important and especially in a young squad.”
Baldock will provide another option in attack after striker Colin Kazim-Richards sustained an achilles injury in Saturday’s 2-1 loss at Peterborough United.
The frontman was carried off on a stretcher early in the second half and Derby are awaiting a specialist’s opinion on how long he will be out of action for.
“It’s a shame, and a blow, for Colin,” he said. “He’s been an important player and he’s going to be out for a while.
“We are waiting on a specialist to see if he needs surgery or not and from there, we’ll know exactly how long he will be out for.
“We will wait to see what the verdict is and from there we hope to have him back as quick as possible, but it will be a long period.”
He added: “We have great physiotherapists and a great medical team to help get him back fit.”
