3/1 To Win
Joe Ledley is in line to make his first start for Derby County this week, but Gary Rowett stopped short of confirming whether it would come at Griffin Park tonight.
The Wales international was an unused substitute against Birmingham City at the weekend, with the boss unwilling to risk the midfielder before he reaches match fitness.
Ledley spent nearly three months without a club after departing Crystal Palace at the end of his contract in June.
Rowett believes that Ledley’s level of experience will allow him to acclimatise quickly to the Championship, whether that’s against Brentford, or his hometown club Cardiff City on Saturday.
He told Rams TV: “Joe is going to be one that has to find his fitness in the games but, of course, with an experienced player you would hope that he would know how to manage himself in games enough not to be horribly exposed physically.
“There will be an opportunity for him to start in one of the next two games. If it is one of them, I’m sure Joe would probably say that he would prefer it to be against Cardiff!”
Ledley kept himself in good condition over the summer – as demonstrated by his presence in the latest Wales squad.
Rowett added: “He’s been in good shape. It’s something we have spoken about, but he was very close to starting for Wales in their recent qualifiers, but it was felt that he wasn’t quite match fit – but that’s something we will look at.
“We will see if he is right for Tuesday night and if that’s the case we will give him a chance. We need to change something; whether that is personnel, our mentality or even formation.”
