Left-back Derry Murkin arrived at Derby County from FC Utrecht on deadline day in February 2026.

He joined on a deal running until the summer of 2029.

Murkin made 12 Sky Bet Championship appearances in his debut campaign as a Ram, first appearing against Ipswich Town just five days after signing for the club.

He secured three assists as he showed equal adeptness in both defence and attack, establishing himself as first choice at left-back.

The defender, who is also adept at playing further forward on the left flank, was born in Colchester but moved to Holland at the age of four.

His mother’s job relocation saw the youngster grow up away from the country of his birth, but football was in his blood, and he soon graduated from the local leagues to join Volendam.

He started life in the reserve team, playing as a winger in his early days, firing an impressive 23 goals in 42 appearances before progressing to the first team.

He was eventually converted to a full-back after former Dutch international Wim Jonk, who was in charge of Volendam’s first team, spotted his potential.

Murkin’s breakthrough season arrived in 2020/21 when he won the club’s ‘Young Talent’ prize - after playing 32 times.

After four years with Volendam, the defender signed a three-year deal with Schalke 04 in August 2023, with the German giants acknowledging his ‘dynamism and pace.’

Despite the club suffering from problems on and off the field, Murkin featured regularly, making 57 appearances in a two-year stint with the Royal Blues.

However, he was transferred back to Holland for a seven-figure fee when Utrecht made an offer for his services in the summer of 2025.

He made 22 appearances for Utrecht in 2025/26 before joining Derby, including seven times in the League Phase of the UEFA Europa League against the likes of SC Freiburg, Lyon, FC Porto and Celtic.

Murkin registered an assist on his Eredivisie debut after coming on from the bench against Heracles Almelo in August, while he contributed goals against PEC Zwolle and Feyenoord in the opening half of the campaign.