Derby manager, Phillip Cocu, has confirmed he's spoken to captain Richard Keogh after an incident involving a Nottingham Forest groundsman.

The Derby boss will have been disappointed to see the incident occur especially as his side had just been thrashed 3-0 by local rivals Forest on Tuesday night.

Cocu has had a mixture of results since he took over as Rams boss in the summer. With just one win to their name in the league this season, the Dutchman's side currently sit in 16th place.

He'll have hoped for a better start than that, but opportunity comes knocking in the shape of Brentford on Saturday. Cocu will hope that Tuesday's incident with Keogh will not have affected the captain's state of mind heading into the weekend.

Speaking to the Derby Telegraph, Cocu said: "It’s always negative if an incident happens on the pitch, especially after the game. At the moment, both clubs are investigating what happened, so I can’t say too much.

"But we are seriously looking into it. I have spoken to Richard (Keogh), as well as other members of the club, and it is still ongoing.

"There will be an announcement if something happens.”

The Verdict

Cocu has come in as manager and hasn't had the best of starts, especially with expectations at their usual heights in Derby.

The incident with Keogh will not have helped his cause as he looks to pick up some more points. It's good that he has been able to speak to the centre-half but he needs to ensure that the captain is in the right frame of mind for Saturday's fixture at Brentford.

Tensions will always rise with local rivals, it's a shame that it happened after the defeat. For Cocu it's almost a double blow to his side. First the defeat and then the controversy that has gone with the incident.