One of the most impressive factors about Phillip Cocu's Derby reign so far is his willingness to use young players and give them opportunities.

Derby have one of the brightest crop of young players around at the moment, too, so it makes sense for Cocu to use them and that is what he has done.

Could some of them benefit from a loan deal to help them further, then? We take a look at four that might fit that description...

Connor Dixon is a busy midfielder that has quickly risen through the youth ranks and is now in the u23 side.

He starred at u18 level and his coaches speak highly of him, now is the time for the Rams to weigh up whether senior football is the next step for him.

Jordan Brown is another to have worked his way through and likes to play in a number of roles on the pitch.

Getting him to feature at senior level could help him hone his craft next season.

Callum Minkley has skippered at youth level, helping Derby win things at that tier and he is a defender of considerable talent.

He can play in the heart of defence or at right-back and getting senior minutes in the near future could help him greatly.

We've already seen Morgan Whittaker around the first team this season and it is clear that he's a player that has a bright future in the game.

Perhaps, now, Derby will want to see him playing on the regular at a decent level to help him keep improving.