Luke Thomas has penned a fresh four-year contract with Derby County which will keep him at the club until the summer of 2022.
The exciting winger, who joined the club in January 2016 from Cheltenham Town, has risen through the Academy ranks and is now very much seen as a part of Frank Lampard’s first-team squad off the back of an impressive pre-season campaign.
The 19-year-old scored twice in the 4-1 win over Notts County last month and his performance drew a great deal of praise from the Derby boss.
Thomas, who was named as last season’s Sammy Crook’s Young Player of the Year, showed glimpses of his talent in two substitute appearances last season - against Queens Park Rangers in November and Bolton Wanderers in April – after a series of scintillating displays for the Under-23s.
Thomas was also named on the substitutes bench in the Rams’ dramatic 2-1 win over Reading last Friday, in what was the EFL curtain-raiser.
Speaking about the news that Thomas has committed his future to Derby, Lampard told dcfc.co.uk: “I’ve been really impressed with Luke from the start of pre-season and I think it was really important for us as club to get him, as an exciting young player, tied down on a long-term deal.
“He offers something very different for us and he showed his skill and speed on the ball during pre-season.”
He added: “Luke knows there’s plenty of hard work ahead of him, as he continues to develop and improve, but he certainly has great potential to have a really good career in the game.”
Watch Thomas' full interview after he committed his future to Derby County on RamsTV now!