"Extremely worrying" - Major Derby County fears aired despite arrival of 18-cap defender | OneFootball

FLW's Derby County fan pundit has been speaking on the signing of Erik Pieters.

This article is part of Football League World's 'Terrace Talk' series, which provides personal opinions from our FLW Fan Pundits regarding the latest breaking news, teams, players, managers, potential signings and more…

Derby County have announced the signing of free agent defender Erik Pieters.

Signed on 28 March on a deal until the end of the season, 36-year-old Pieters adds a veteran and versatile piece of defensive cover to John Eustace's backline, as the Rams look to mount one last big survival push.

The former Netherlands international has been looking for a new club since his short-term contract with Luton Town expired in January, having failed to make an appearance for the Hatters.

Pieters had recently been on trial with Middlesbrough, but Boro ultimately decided against signing the experienced defender.

"Down to the bare bones" - Derby County defensive injury woes outlined amid Erik Pieters arrival

We asked our Derby County fan pundit, Shaun Woodward: 'Erik Pieters signs until the end of the season. Thoughts? He has plenty of experience, but does this make you worry about fitness/injuries to current players in the defence?'

Woodward said: "It is extremely worrying about how many injuries we have/had in this team this season, not just in defence, but across the whole of the squad.

"I don't think I've ever known a season like it. Looking at just the defence, I think every single player in that backline has been injured at some point this season, or is injured.

"Callum Elder's been out. "Fozzie's" been out (Craig Forsyth). Matt Clarke's been out. Sondre Langas - he's playing through the pain at the moment and potentially needs an operation.

"Nat Phillips has been out with injury. Curtis Nelson is out for the rest of the season. Kane Wilson's been out for a big chunk. Ryan Nyambe's been out; he's back, but how fit is he? I don't know.

"We let Sonny Bradley and Eiran Cashin go. So, we are down to the bare bones, and the ones that are out there aren't necessarily fully fit either."

"He's got the experience" - Verdict issued on Derby, Erik Pieters signing

Having begun his senior career all the way back in the 2006/07 season with Dutch Eredivisie side FC Utrecht, Pieters is pretty much as experienced as they come.

Capped 18 times for the Netherlands at international level, the versatile defender is comfortable operating at either full-back spot, or in the heart of central defence - which is where he's typically been seen operating from in more recent times.

Pieters made over 200 appearances for Stoke City during the prime years of his career in the Premier League, as well as making over 60 appearances for both Burnley and West Brom respectively.

He also has 140 outings for Dutch giants PSV Eindhoven on his CV, in what has been a long and successful career for the defender, and it's that experience that could prove vital for Derby in their bid to retain their Championship status this season.

"So, I think bringing Erik Pieters in is a great move by Eustace," Woodward continued.

"It's only for eight games. Yes he's old, but he looks like he's kept himself relatively fit. He's got the experience. So, someone to come on and shore us up - I think it's a great move by Eustace.

"Hopefully Pieters has still got the know-how to help out a team in crisis. I'm not saying that we are in a crisis, but we are still in the bottom three, and I think it's all hands on deck right now.

"Hopefully he's coming in to do a job for us, and keep us up."