Phillip Cocu has labelled midfielder Graeme Shinnie as a ‘fantastic professional’ after he impressed on his league debut for Derby County on Saturday afternoon.
The 28-year-old Scotland international has had to be patient waiting for his opportunity to impress in the Sky Bet Championship following his arrival from Aberdeen in the summer.
Shinnie penned a pre-contract agreement to join Derby from the Scottish Premiership side in May prior to former manager Frank Lampard’s departure to Chelsea.
Before to the 2-0 win over the Hatters, Shinnie’s only match minutes had come in the Carabao Cup matches against Scunthorpe United and Nottingham Forest in August.
However, with Tom Huddlestone sidelined with a hamstring problem, Shinnie was handed his league bow and grasped the chance to shine with both hands and he claimed the Man of the Match award for his display.
Cocu has impressed with the way Shinnie has gone about his work and shown a desire to improve and do the right things whilst waiting patiently for his opportunity.
Cocu told RamsTV: “He did great and was fantastic.
“It is another example, for me, of another fantastic professional.
“We spoke a little bit over two weeks ago. He came to me and not with excuses, he just asked me what he could improve and where did he have to step up in which part of the game to come in to the team.
“We had a good talk and I said keep on working hard.
“He has had to get used to the style of play and being in a different league and the different demands on how we like to execute.”
He added: “He improved every time in training. Sometimes an opportunity pops up and you have to take it and he did great.”
Shinnie, who has been capped five times by Scotland at full international level, made 370 appearances in Scotland prior to moving south of the border in the summer.