Wayne Rooney decision helped Derby County see value in £5m star | OneFootball

The former Rams captain was fantastic in the 2021/22 season, and had his best year at the club despite relegation.

Tom Lawrence was brought to Derby County by Gary Rowett in the summer of 2017, with the 23-year-old signing a "long-term deal" at Pride Park.

The Rams spent an initial £5m on the versatile winger from Leicester City, with the fee later rising to £7m through add-ons.

Lawrence struggled to get up to speed straight away, and it took until his second season for him to show his true promise. However, it was in his fifth and final campaign when he finally lived up to his transfer fee.

It was a season that proved incredibly difficult for Derby after they went into administration and were deducted 21 points, but a decision made by former manager Wayne Rooney proved crucial in making sure Lawrence had an excellent year.

Lawrence excelled as captain at Derby

The Rams lacked experience in their first team in the 2021/22 campaign, and Lawrence was handed the captaincy by Rooney.

It was a decision that worked out excellently, with the 23-time capped Wales international excelling off the wing and in an attacking midfield position as the East Midlands side fought against the odds to try and survive against the looming threat of relegation.

Lawrence scored his first goal of the season against bitter rivals Nottingham Forest in a 1-1 draw at Pride Park, and it was moments like that one that continued to pop up across the season, as Derby started to close the gap to those above them.

He scored a brace against AFC Bournemouth to help inspire his side to an incredible 3-2 victory over the Cherries at Pride Park, as the Rams put themselves back on to zero points.

He scored once more in 2021 to close out the year with four goals for the season after also finding the back of the net against Luton Town in October, and there were fresh hopes that Rooney's side could do the unthinkable with Lawrence as their leader.

Derby fell short but it was not due to a lack of effort

The Rams had an excellent period over the course of Christmas, and their captain had arguably his best game in black-and-white at the start of 2022.

Sheffield United made the trip to Pride Park searching for three points to bolster them in their fight for a play-off place, but Derby and Lawrence had other ideas.

A superb second half brace from the then 28-year-old, who had only celebrated his birthday two days prior, saw the home side to an invaluable victory that put them just one point behind Barnsley, closing a gap of 20 points to the Tykes.

However, away form was hard to come by for the East Midlands side, and a defeat to Nottingham Forest a week later saw them embark on an eight-game losing streak on their travels.

Ultimately, this was what derailed Derby's chances of survival, but that did not stop Lawrence from scoring four more goals - including his second of the season against Forest at the City Ground.

The Rams were relegated with three games left in the season, and Lawrence was sent off in the late defeat to QPR that ended their time in the Championship, but he returned for the final game of the season and his last as a Derby player against Cardiff City, before he moved to Rangers with his contract expiring.

Lawrence's time at Pride Park was filled with nearly moments, but he proved during the 2021/22 campaign, that with a little more responsibility and experience, he had enough to live up to his price-tag.