Former Huddersfield Town and Lincoln City boss Danny Cowley has earmarked Rafa Benitez as the perfect successor for Philip Cocu in the role of Derby County manager, with the ex-Terriers boss making the comments during a recent episode of EFL on Quest

The Rams are in a pretty dire state after a disastrous start to the campaign, with one win from their first 12 league games leaving Cocu's position as manager untenable, thus seeing the Dutchman being given his marching orders earlier this month.

Speculation is now rife as to who may be the man to take over the reins at Pride Park, with Derby still coming across as an attractive project for many a manager despite their current lowly position in the Championship standings.

It is a subject that many have commented on and now Cowley has thrown yet another opinion into the mix, as he stated the following about former Newcastle and Liverpool boss Rafa Benitez:

“Rafa would be the dream and if they could find someone like that that’s been at the very top level and is a technical genius then that would be fantastic."

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Of course Bentiez is well known for his pedigree on the European stage with the likes of Liverpool and Chelsea to name a few, however it must also be noted that the Spaniard also led Newcastle to Premier League promotion during his time in charge of the Magpies, as they won the Championship during the 2016/17 campaign.

The Verdict 

This would be a huge coup for the Rams as Benitez is as good as they come for a club of their level, however it does seem a tad unrealistic as he is currently managing in China, at a club in which he is likely to be being paid a fair amount to do so.

It remains to be seen if the Rams will opt for a more experienced appointment or not, with rumours of  Wayne Rooney potentially taking on the job full time refusing to go away at present.

I personally feel that someone with true Championship and perhaps Premier League pedigree is needed, as there is so much potential and talent in this Derby squad that for one reason or another, has yet to have thrived this term.

Whether it's Bentiez or someone else of that stature, an appointment has to made soon before things get any worse for a club who will still have hopes of reaching the play-offs this season.