Jamie Hanson has signed a new two-year contract with Derby County, according to the official site.

The 22-year-old has seen his opportunities limited with only three appearances in the league this season.

His role has been mainly as depth in the team and back-up when needed such as when he was brought on in the East Midlands derby against Forest, in order to ensure Derby came away with a point after Tom Huddlestone had been sent off.

This announcement comes at a bad time for the club, though, because they have just dropped out of the play-offs due to losing against local rivals Burton Albion.

Losing to the Brewers has made their task of finishing in the play-offs a lot harder because they have Middlesbrough, Cardiff and Aston Villa all left to play.

The Verdict

This deal suggests that he is in Gary Rowett's long-term plans and could potentially work his way into the first-team over time.

At 22-years-old, he has plenty of time to continue his development, and staying at Derby was probably the right move for his career due to his familiarity with the surroundings because he is an academy graduate.

His versatility enables him to play as a centre-back or a central midfielder which makes him useful especially if Derby don't have a lot of depth to the squad due to injuries, suspensions or other factors.