3/1 To Win
Defender Lee Buchanan is confident Derby County’s players will reap the rewards of their pre-season work once the 2021/22 Sky Bet Championship season gets underway.
Derby’s players are currently taking in their second full week of pre-season training away from Moor Farm Training Ground.
Wayne Rooney’s squad are currently at a training camp in Surrey as they continue to put in the hard yards ahead of the campaign getting started on Saturday 7th August.
The squad have been taking in regular double sessions as their workload continues to increase, with a key emphasis placed on Derby’s patterns of play in the lead-up to Rooney’s first full campaign in the hotseat.
Buchanan, the Rams’ Sammy Crooks Young Player of the Season for the 2020/21 season, knows it’s an important time to get to work on the training pitch with the new season edging ever closer.
Speaking to RamsTV, Buchanan said: “It’s been a good week so far; we’ve had tough and enjoyable sessions.
“It’s been difficult with the heat, but you have to get on with it and ultimately it’s our job.
“We’ve had good sessions working on what we want to achieve in the season, such as things like pattern of play, so when the first game comes around, we’re ready to go.
“The feel of the group is good as well and we still have a core group of young players such as myself, Louie Sibley, Max Bird and Jason Knight who have all come through the Academy together and that’s good too to be around those guys.”
Derby will play their first public pre-season friendly on Sunday at Pride Park Stadium against Premier League Manchester United (1pm kick-off).
On the game, Buchanan added: “I’m looking forward to it; I can’t wait.”
Buchanan, who is 20 and was last season capped by England at Under-21 level, has made 44 first-team appearances since being handed his senior debut in August 2019.
