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Derby County and John Eustace are in a fight to survive relegation from the Championship, with the Rams needing all the help they can get to ensure safety is secured.
It has been a difficult campaign for much of 2025/26 for the Pride Park faithful. At one stage it looked as though they would be a mid-table Championship side, but Paul Warne’s sacking and Eustace’s appointment has not seen a change in fortune.
| Position | Team | Played MP | Won W | Drawn D | Lost L | For GF | Against GA | Diff GD | Points Pts |
| 17 |  PortsmouthPortsmouth | 35 | 10 | 9 | 16 | 43 | 57 | -14 | 39 |
| 18 |  Oxford UnitedOxford United | 35 | 9 | 11 | 15 | 36 | 52 | -16 | 38 |
| 19 |  Hull CityHull City | 35 | 9 | 9 | 17 | 35 | 44 | -9 | 36 |
| 20 |  Stoke CityStoke City | 35 | 8 | 12 | 15 | 34 | 47 | -13 | 36 |
| 21 |  CardiffCardiff | 35 | 8 | 12 | 15 | 38 | 57 | -19 | 36 |
| 22 |  LutonLuton | 35 | 8 | 7 | 20 | 32 | 55 | -23 | 31 |
| 23 |  PlymouthPlymouth | 35 | 6 | 12 | 17 | 36 | 70 | -34 | 30 |
| 24 |  DerbyDerby | 35 | 7 | 8 | 20 | 33 | 48 | -15 | 29 |
In February, they made the decision to part ways with Warne, despite giving him the entirety of the January window, and they turned to Eustace instead by prying him away from high-flying Blackburn Rovers.
It has left Eustace with plenty of problems to solve at Derby, but he’ll be hoping that the signing of Kemar Roofe can impress Derby fans before the season ends, alongside the likes of Lars-Jorgen Salvesen, Sondre Langas, as well as the loan capture of Harrison Armstrong.
Matt Clarke also returned to the club, but he may not be the last familiar face through the door, following recent reports linking a fan’s favourite with a return to the club.
John Eustace confirms Derby’s Jeff Hendrick interest
Derby have had plenty of transfer issues detailed recently, but there could be a boost to their survival hopes imminently.
One player who could join Clarke back at the club is Hendrick, who The Telegraph are reporting has been training with the Rams in recent weeks. Derbyshire Live have added that the former Republic of Ireland international is being considered as a potential addition for the remainder of the season.
John Eustace has since shed light on the reports that Hendrick is working with Derby’s squad currently, confirming that they are hoping to have him signed up and featuring in games as soon as “next week”.
The central midfielder joined the Rams from Irish club St. Kevin’s Boys, and he spent two seasons as a scholar before Nigel Clough noticed his talents.
He was fantastic at Derby for many years but also at Euro 2016 with the Republic of Ireland. There, his performances for his nation drew attention from the Premier League.
He joined Burnley for a fee of around £10.5 million on deadline day in August that summer, becoming a key figure for Sean Dyche. That still stands as one of the biggest fees the club has ever received.
That said, having risen through the Derby youth ranks, there was more of a sense of attachment to his departure, with many Derby supporters likely to welcome the news of a return to Pride Park.
Jeff Hendrick is a fan favourite at Derby County
The now 33-year-old is a free agent, but 14 years ago, he was just beginning to break onto the scene at Pride Park, building a legacy at the club where he spent a lot of his formative years.
Hendrick played 42 times in the Championship in the 2011/12 campaign, establishing himself as a player not just for the future but for the present.
His performances in the years leading to that eventual goodbye were more than worth their weight in gold, while the experience and know-how he now has could also be invaluable for a team looking to survive.
| Jeff Hendrick career stats | Appearances | Goals | Assists |
| Derby County | 214 | 26 | 19 |
| Burnley | 139 | 10 | 7 |
| Newcastle United | 27 | 3 | 1 |
| QPR | 11 | 0 | 0 |
| Reading | 46 | 4 | 1 |
| Sheffield Wednesday | 12 | 1 | 0 |
| Republic of Ireland | 79 | 2 | 7 |
Rams fans will never forget the impact he made during his 214 appearances at the club, as well as the memories he created, but he could theoretically return to Pride Park with a point to prove.
It would certainly be a romantic story if Hendrick were to help them achieve survival, but you worry about his fitness and conditioning with games and time running out in the 2024/25 season.