Derby County must prioritise keeping hold of their talented young players this month, according to Andy Hinchcliffe.

The Rams are in a tricky financial situation at the moment as the club await confirmation that Abu Dhabi royal family member Sheikh Khaled's takeover of the club has gone through.

Reports emerges last month that the Championship club had failed to pay their players for the month of December, leading to speculation that they may have to sell some of their promising talent in a bid to raise cash.

The hope is that a takeover deal can go through quickly - something that Hinchcliffe believes will be crucial in deterring interest in their players.

Speaking on the Sky Sports EFL Podcast, Hinchcliffe said: “If a takeover happens and there is money there to spend on other players then they could also keep hold of their young players.

“There’s a lot of talk about them funding signings by selling players like Max Bird or Louie Sibley but surely Rooney will want to keep those players because he knows the talent that they have.

“If they can keep those young players and then spend external money to bring in other players then they’ll be in a good position.”

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The Verdict

The sooner that this takeover goes through, the better for everyone at the club.

Derby County need a bit of stability so that they can truly kick on in the second half of the season and move themselves up the table.

Things have improved under Wayne Rooney but with the ownership of the club breeding financial issues, he'll be praying that things can be sorted so that he has assurances over the future of his talented crop of young players.