Derby County: John Eustace has one key contract situation to sort on arrival | OneFootball

The Rams' right-back is due to leave the club in the summer if nothing is sorted soon.

There is a great sense of anticipation surrounding Pride Park currently, and after a difficult few months, the managerial saga that has taken over Derby County in the last week has brought life back to the club.

Paul Warne was sacked by the Rams just a day before his now former side travelled to Norwich City after losing seven successive games in the Championship, while also being dumped out of the FA Cup in the third round by League One side Leyton Orient on penalties.

John Eustace is set to be announced as the new manager of the club, having requested permission from Blackburn Rovers to speak to the East Midlands side on Monday, and there are hopes that he will be able to take the team away from the threat of relegation after back to back draws against the Canaries and Oxford United.

However, the 45-year-old has other pressing issues that he must fix when he first walks through the door at Derby, with one involving Kane Wilson.

Eustace must renew Wilson's contract as soon as possible

The 24-year-old has been out of action for the last couple of weeks with a hamstring injury, and his loss has been clear to see.

Derby are not as threatening on the right as they were, and combined with Kayden Jackson's lack of confidence at wing-back, the team have struggled to produce on that flank.

On his day, Wilson is electric and is an incredibly difficult operator to contain for opponents. Ensuring that he is signed up for at least one more year is a priority as the Rams are a much better team when he is in it.

Ryan Nyambe, who is the team's best defensive option at right-back, has not been able to break back into the starting XI properly since returning from a knee injury, but when he eventually does, he will have the former Bristol City man competing with him once again.

This competition is good for Eustace, and he needs two high-performing full-backs who have vastly different characteristics if his side is to be successful.

Derby can ill-afford a player of Wilson's quality to join a rival, and less so if they do not gain anything from it financially. There will be no shortage of potential suitors for him if he does not sign a new contract, and the Rams must get to work on it straight away.

Wilson could play in a more attacking role under Eustace

Throughout Eustace's managerial career he has used a 4-2-3-1 formation, and the basis of his style of play has been about making his teams difficult to beat.

Therefore, it would not be a surprise to see Nyambe played in the right-back role, while Wilson could be deployed further forward, as his strengths do lie in the attacking third of the pitch.

Derby's wingers have not been good enough so far this season, and the 24-year-old may provide a different option on that right side compared to Jackson and Nathaniel Mendez-Laing.

Nevertheless, keeping Wilson on board is a must, and the Rams cannot afford to let one of their star players walk away for nothing as they aim to build in the right direction under Eustace.