Derby County’s first team squad checked in for pre-season training on Monday to start preparations for the upcoming 2024/25 Sky Bet Championship campaign.
After seeing the Rams earn automatic promotion at the end of the 2023/24 season from League One, Paul Warne’s side are back in the second tier of English football after a two-year absence.
As is customary on the first day of pre-season training, the day provided a mixture of fitness and medical testing, alongside some training drills on the grass at Moor Farm Training Ground.
Two full weeks of training are on the agenda ahead of the Rams’ opening pre-season friendly at Matlock Town on Friday 12th July (7:45pm kick-off).
After the meeting with the Gladiators, the squad will head out to Spain for a week-long training camp for the second year in a row before returning home to continue their work ahead of the new season.
Derby’s 2024/25 campaign starts with a trip to Blackburn Rovers on Friday 9th August 2024 (8pm kick-off) in front of the Sky Sports cameras.
Recent signing Ben Osborn was in for his first day of work as a Rams player, while attacker Nathaniel Mendez-Laing has been afforded some extra time to rest after being called up to Guatemala squad for three international matches in June.