Despite back-to-back defeats, Derby County look to be in safe hands with Wayne Rooney at the helm. 

The former England and Manchester United captain took charge permanently at the start of the year and has made an impressive start in management – though the Rams still have a lot to fight for this season.

Rooney has highlighted the importance of the club's recruitment over the next 12 to 18 months as he looks to take them forward.

It's been 13 years since the Rams infamous last season in the Premier League but ultimately that's where they'll be hoping their current boss can take them.

We're looking at players of the past today and have scoured the records to find some that you may not recognise and some familiar faces that you might've forgotten have represented the East Midlands club.

With that in mind, here are 11 players you probably forgot ever played for Derby County...

The West Ham goalkeeper caught the spotlight with some impressive displays and an emotional interview amid a string of injuries at the London Stadium a few years ago but he may be a face that some Rams fans find familiar.

That's because the 35-year-old had a brief spell at Pride Park more than a decade ago.

Martin joined Derby on loan from Liverpool for a month in March 2010 and featured just twice – conceding four goals.

That was more than he mustered at Anfield though and he left permanently to join MK Dons in July 2010 before working his way up to eventually join the Hammers.

A product of the Rams academy, Connolly only got the one chance to feature for the East Midlands club's senior side – coming off the bench very late on in their 2-0 win against Cardiff City in February 2010.

After a loan spell at Ayr United, the Irish midfielder left Pride Park permanently in 2012 to return to his homeland with Sligo Rovers.

He's remained in Ireland since bouncing around between a number of clubs before joining Finn Harps in January last year.

The 29-year-old has played the best football of his career with Galway United, however, making more than 100 appearances for the club.

Ssewankambo signed for Derby in January 2015 after an impressive trial at Pride Park, leaving Dutch side NAC Breda to make the switch.

The Swede is a product of Chelsea's academy system and Rams boss at the time Steve McClaren was likely hopeful he could help the player fulfil his potential in the East Midlands.

That didn't happen and the versatile defender, who is also comfortable in midfield, left Derby after just 18 months at the club.

The Rams sold Ssewankambo to Norweigan club Molde at the end of the 2015/16 season, having made just one senior appearance in an EFL Cup game against Portsmouth.

Another academy product that failed to make the cut at Pride Park, Vernam joined the youth setup from Scunthorpe in 2012 but left the East Midlands club in 2018 having made just one senior appearance.

That came off the bench in an FA Cup game against West Bromwich Albion in 2017. He played for just two minutes but helped the Rams win 2-1.

The attacker has impressed in the lower leagues in recent years, however, looking particularly impressive for Grimsby Town last term as he scored seven times and added two assists.

His time in League One with Burton was brief but he joined Bradford City in January and has helped them turn their form around as they look to secure League Two survival.

One of Derby's stranger loan moves, the midfielder's spell at the club was admittedly a brief one.

Pereplotkins joined from Latvian club Skonto Riga in August 2008 but returned to his parent club in December 2008 after struggling to make much of an impact for the Rams.

In total, he featured just three times for Paul Jewell's side and proved a rather forgettable signing.

The 36-year-old's career since has seen him play for a string of clubs, mostly in Eastern Europe, and after returning from a six-month ban, he is now with Latvian club Super Nova.

Things never quite clicked for the Peruvian forward in the East Midlands.

Having joined from Huddersfield Town in 2003, Labarthe played just 84 minutes of football for Derby before he departed and failed to find the net once.

The striker returned to his home nation and joined Coronel Bolognesi in January 2005 and you feel as if most Rams fans are unlikely to have thought of him once since.

The majority of his career has been played back in Peru – save a brief spell with Cypriot club Apollon Limassol – and he is current at Deportivo Coopsol in the second tier.

The 32-year-old has made a career out of scoring goals in the EFL, with more than 100 goals in England's three tiers below the Premier League.

His first taste of football below the top flight came with Derby in the very early days of his career, having joined on loan from Everton in x.

It wasn't a particularly successful move for Vaughan or the Rams, with the forward featuring just twice and not scoring once.

He's proven himself a useful goalscorer in the EFL since, most significantly with Huddersfield Town, Bury, and his current club Tranmere Rovers.

The striker has been in fantastic form this term – scoring 21 goals already this season and helping Tranmere battle near the top of the table.

Elsnik joined the Derby youth setup in 2015, moving from Slovenian club NK Aluminij but struggled to really make an impact at Pride Park.

He spent the majority of his senior career at the club out on loan elsewhere, joining first Swindon Town, then Mansfield Town and finally Northampton Town.

The 22-year-old midfielder got just three chances in the first team – all coming in the EFL Cup – but it was no huge surprise when he left the club as a free agent in the summer of 2019.

Elsnik's next step saw him move back to Slovenia to join NK Olimpija Ljubljana and that's where he remains, having featured 24 times this season.

The Salford City striker came through the Manchester United academy and it was during his time with the Old Trafford outfit that he joined the Rams.

Having impressed on loan in the Championship with Brighton the previous season, Wilson joined Derby in August 2016 but didn't last the whole campaign – returning to the Red Devils in February 2017.

He made just four appearances in total, failing to find the net once, in what was a disappointing spell for the player and the club.

Wilson has been in relatively good form this term, however, scoring eight times in 24 games for Salford.

A seasoned Premier League defender, Tomkins will no doubt be a familiar face to English football fans for his spells with West Ham United and Crystal Palace.

Those aren't the only two clubs he has represented during his career, however, as he was briefly on loan at Pride Park.

The defender spent just over a month at Derby and featured eight times in total, five of which were defeats as the Rams languished down in the bottom half of the Championship table.

It's unlikely to be a particularly fond memory for Tomkins, Derby, or fans of the East Midlands club.

The winger has got an impressive record in English football, having proven his quality in the Championship, League One, and League Two.

His time at Derby, however, wasn't quite as positive and lasted only half a season.

Maguire signed from Aberdeen in July 2011 but featured just eight times before he was shipped off on loan to Portsmouth.

Having returned to Pride Park, the Scotsman was subsequently sold to Sheffield Wednesday in July 2012.

He's currently at Sunderland and has been a very useful weapon over the past few years.