Phillip Cocu says the senior members of Derby County’s squad will have a key role to play in Tuesday night’s Sky Bet Championship fixture at Cardiff City (7:45pm kick-off).
The two sides will go head-to-head at Cardiff City Stadium as they continue to battle for the right to finish in division’s play-off places with three games left to play.
Cardiff occupy sixth place on 64 points, while Derby are three points behind and know a victory will see them go level on points with Neil Harris’ side.
Youngsters Max Bird, Louie Sibley and Jason Knight have burst onto the first-team scene during the 2019/20 season and made a big impact - but Cocu is not underestimating the value of the Rams’ experience players too.
Skipper Wayne Rooney provides a huge amount of know-how from his illustrious periods with Manchester United and England, while the likes of Chris Martin, Craig Forsyth and Curtis Davies provide significant experience.
Tuesday’s game is a key one for both sides and Cocu believes those experienced players have a key role.
“They are always important players with the experience but even more at the end of the season,” Cocu told RamsTV.
“The pressure on teams to get a good result is bigger because you play for a play-off spot.
“It is unfortunate that some of the experienced guys we’ve had are not here or not fit. Tom Huddlestone is not among us (contract expired) but he is a player who has a lot of experience.
“In Chris Martin, Wayne Rooney, Craig Forsyth and Curtis Davies we have players with more experience, and they are important at this stage of the league to put their experience across and lead the team.
“That is important, especially for the young guys so they can focus on their task and on the game and not think about other stuff which is less important for them. The senior players have to lead the game.”
Cocu has placed faith in several Derby’s youngsters throughout the campaign.
As well as Bird, Sibley and Knight featuring heavily, other Academy graduates such as Jayden Bogle, Max Lowe and Morgan Whittaker have racked up significant minutes during the season.
The Derby boss believes the young players will only benefit from playing in matches with plenty riding on them and insists it is an important part of their development.
He said: “It’s experience that you get as a player and you learn from it.
“The best way to learn is to be part of those kinds of games, especially if you are close towards the end of the season and you know what is at stake.
“Our opponents play for promotion or to get in the play-offs as well, or they don’t want to be relegated, so there is always a lot at stake at the end of the season and that’s the part that is most exciting.”
He added: “You play all year to be in a good position in that period of the season and it’s an important part of their development.”
