Derby County manager Paul Warne has provided an update regarding the future of forward Tyreece John-Jules during an interview with the Derby Telegraph.
The 22-year-old is currently on loan at Pride Park from Premier League title challengers Arsenal but his spell with the club is set to expire in January, due to him only signing a short-term deal.
John-Jules has been limited to just two League One appearances so far this season and playing a total of 24 minutes but hasn’t featured since early August. Initially, this was a tactical decision until the forward suffered an injury in early September that has ruled him out since.
The forward has had a variety of loan spells in recent seasons with the likes of Ipswich Town, Lincoln City and Doncaster Rovers but has failed to stake a claim at Pride Park so far, running the risk of returning to the Emirates Stadium in January.
After having the weekend off, Derby County are next in League One action on Saturday as they host manager-less but in-form Bristol Rovers aiming to return to winning ways following their FA Cup exit against League Two side Crewe Alexandra.
The Rams currently sit 7th in League One but have got as many as two games in hand on some of the sides around them in the table, meaning their push for the top six is very much in their hands.
Speaking to the Derby Telegraph in regards to the forwards future at Pride Park, manager Paul Warne stated…
“With every loan and every player, you assess all the time what you have got. There are players in our squad not getting game time who might think I am not playing I will want to go somewhere else.
“You always have that. With Tyreece, if we can get him fit, playing and then it’s a much more positive situation for us all. That’s the truth. We haven’t actually sat down and said we are 100 per cent keeping him or 100 per cent not.
“Hopefully he can get back, and then we can make an informed decision as opposed to just guessing.”
Writer’s View
John-Jules has had enjoyable spells at several clubs during the last few seasons but there is an outside chance that he could pursue a permanent exit in January, which ultimately would see him leave Derby and not return.
However, with the Rams in need of attacking options to push for a top-six finish, it wouldn’t shock me if the club did try and persuade the forward to stay at the club and extend his spell until the end of the season.