3/1 To Win
Derby County Under-21s defender Max Bardell has joined National League side AFC Fylde on a month-long loan.
The 21-year-old will look to gain senior football experience during a short loan at the non-league side. The loan with the Coasters will be Bardell's first extended experience of men's senior football.
Fylde, who are managed by former Derby coach Kevin Phillips, will play Gateshead, Braintree Town and Hartlepool United over the course of the loan period.
The versatile defender, who can play at right-back or in the centre of defence, joined Derby in the 2019/20 season and was a mainstay in the Under-18s side before graduating into the Under-21s in the 2021/22 campaign.
He made his first-team bow off the bench in the Rams’ Emirates FA Cup First Round replay success over Torquay United in November 2022 after a lengthy spell out of action due to injury. He previously featured in a young Rams side, made up of Academy players, owing to COVID-19, in the FA Cup Third Round against Chorley in January 2021.
In January 2023 Bardell penned a deal that committed his future to the club which runs until summer 2025.
He has featured six times in Premier League 2 for the Under-21s this season and scored in a 2-0 win over Preston North End in the Central League.
