Derby County will be hoping it’s third time lucky as John Eustace finds new starlet, his brother plays for Liverpool

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Derby County are preparing for a trip to Austria as the weeks tick down until the first Championship fixtures of the season.

John Eustace has teased more signings ahead of the pre-season camp, with the Rams officially underway for 2025/26 after they drew 1-1 with non-league side Matlock Town on Saturday.

The East Midlands outfit put out two different teams of 11 in North Derbyshire at the weekend, with the side playing in the first half considerably stronger as eight academy stars featured across the 90 minutes.

While it was very much a test of fitness, a number of those young players did impress and Eustace has some secret weapons to use in the Championship in the new campaign, including a right-back whose family will be familiar to those at Pride Park.

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Derby County have a new star in Isaac Gordon

Three of Derby’s record sales have come through the academy at the club’s training ground Moor Farm, and their ability to bring through a strong crop of players is a very good attribute, and now they look to have cracked the code once again.

With Kane Wilson, Ryan Nyambe and Joe Ward all coming back from injury, the Rams were without a senior right-back on Saturday meaning that responsibility was split between Isaac Gordon and Freddie Turley.

The former started the game for Derby, and he was excellent on the right flank, consistently getting himself forward to initiate attacks while also proving his fitness with some fantastic tracking skills.

Working with Kayden Jackson, it was clear to see that Gordon learned plenty from the experience and he was the major bright spark before the break.

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The Rams have a history with the Gordon family

Eustace will be extremely keen to get Wilson back involved in the coming weeks after he got a full summer to recover from knee surgery.

However, Gordon provides him with a different route in the months and years to come, with his older brothers also coming through the ranks in the East Midlands.

Kellan, who is now playing for Notts County in League Two, left Derby in 2019 after he struggled to break through into the first team. Kaide Gordon was then the next to make a name for himself in black-and-white.

The winger is currently on the books at Liverpool, although he spent time on loan with both Norwich City and Portsmouth last season. Isaac is the latest brother to come through the academy at Moor Farm, and at just 18, could it be third time lucky for the Rams?