Derby County will once again go into the new season as one of the hot promotion favourites, with new manager Nigel Pearson expected to lead the club to promotion back to the Premier League. 

There is a strong feeling around the club that this might just be their year with Pearson at the helm, but the Championship will be tougher than ever, with Newcastle, Aston Villa, and Norwich all coming down to add to the mix of successful teams last season.

While Pearson will probably go and spend in the summer, it is essential that he utilises the squad he already has at his disposal.

The Rams squad is full of top class talent, and really should be challenging at the top of the table come the end of next season. Anything else, will surely be regarded as a failure.

With this in mind, FLW writer Lee Connor takes a look at the FOUR most key players for Derby next season...

Chris Martin

Martin often divides opinion at the Ipro, but there is no denying that on his day he is one of the best number 9s in the league.

As an out and out striker and goal threat, there are not many as consistent or as good as Martin in the Championship.

The key next season could be finding him the correct partner, but if Martin can hit the ground running under Pearson, we could expect to see in excess of 20 goals from the big striker.

Jeff Hendrick

Hendrick is currently over in France with Ireland, and he has arguably been their best player so far.

He brings with him bundles of energy and goes box to box with ease, seemingly never tiring. This is exactly the sort of player Pearson thrives on having in his squad, so this should serve him well.

Hendrick might well be in demand come the end of the Euro's, but Derby will be doing their utmost to keep hold of him, regardless of what sort of bids come in.

Will Hughes

The young midfielder returned from injury towards the end of last season and will be hoping a full pre season can serve him well going into next term.

Hughes is a top talent, and has been scouted on numerous occasions by some of the Premier Leagues top clubs.

Nigel Pearson will be hoping to utilise the talent that Hughes has though and will hope he can be the driving force in his midfield to guide them to promotion.

Cyrus Christie

Christie impresses down the right for Derby more often than not, and has become a key player in their attacking and defending.

He is capable of bombing on down the right from his defensive role, much like a second winger, and this could be crucial next term for how Pearson wants his team to play.

While not everyone will think a right back will be the most crucial player in a team, having quality full backs like Christie adds another dimension to teams sometimes and he should go well again.