Derby County have announced that midfielder Tom Huddlestone has triggered an extension in his contract, keeping him with the club for a further twelve months.

Huddlestone, who spent the first three years of his senior career with the Rams between 2002 and 2005 making his debut as a 16-year-old, re-joined the club from Hull City in July 2017 on a two-year contract for an undisclosed fee.

Since returning to Pride Park, the midfielder has made 73 appearances, and the club confirmed on their website today that those appearances mean a clause in Huddlestone's contract has been automatically triggered, extending his time at Pride Park through to the end of the 2019/20 season.

After his first departure from Derby, Huddlestone spent eight years with Tottenham Hotspur, before making the move to Hull in 2013, and has racked over 500 club career appearances, as well as four England caps throughout his career.

The verdict

One of the most experienced members of the Rams' squad, the news of Huddlestone's contract extension should be welcomed by those in and around the club. The 32-year-old has regularly featured for the club this season, showing that manager Frank Lampard feels he still has plenty to contribute as he approaches the latter stages of his career.