3/1 To Win
Whilst manager Frank Lampard has hinted he will make some changes ahead of Saturday's FA Cup clash at Accrington Stanley, one player the Rams supporters will not see at the weekend is new signing Ashley Cole.
The full-back, who joined Derby on a deal until the end of the season earlier this week, has not played any football since leaving MLS side LA Galaxy in November.
The 38-year-old, who has won the FA Cup a record-breaking seven times in his career, will work to a training regime to get him up to match fitness.
“Ashley won’t be involved so he will keep working here at the training ground with the coaches,” Lampard told RamsTV.
“The last thing I want to do, and I did it myself in the latter stages of my career, is move club and try and be overeager to be fit. We need Ashley for the duration so to rush him would be naïve on all fronts, so we will get him right.
“He has won the FA Cup a lot. Ashley’s career is glittering; he has had a lot of success. He knows how to win the FA Cup but he won’t be included in this game.”
The former Chelsea and England international defender has already made an impression on his team-mates in training.
He will continue his build up to fitness on the training pitch, while Lampard is confident he will fit in comfortably and be a key asset around the place.
“It’s great for us to have him and I am delighted to have Ashley here for lots of reasons, but obviously the quality of him as a player,” he said.
“I know him very well, I know his fitness levels and how they have been throughout his career and the condition he is in now.
“I have no worries in that he it stands and I know his personality. That is just as important to us. I think his experience in the dressing room and what he can give to the group everyday on and off the pitch is huge.
“Ashley is such a humble guy and hard-working lad that people will realise very quickly that, his CV is there and we all know it, but him as a teammate and a friend will be top-notch. He will make it very easy for everyone to take it in their stride very quickly and he becomes a member of the squad.”
