Seeing their side draw Saturday's season opener against Huddersfield Town 1-1 will likely have been huge a relief for Derby County supporters, if only because it means some of the focus can shift to what's happening on the field rather than off it. 

The Pride Park faithful will have been hoping that the Rams' survival on the final day of last season would prove a turning point for the East Midlands club but it was just the start of a very difficult summer, which has seen player departures, financial issues, EFL sanctions, and other off-field problems hamper their preparations for the new campaign.

At the other end of the spectrum are Ipswich Town, whose new CEO Mark Ashton has had the full backing of the club's new ownership to go on a spending spree and add some real talent to Paul Cook's squad – with 14 new players signing so far.

According to EADT, the Tractor Boys are keen to make Derby's reigning Player of the Season Graeme Shinnie signing number 15 as Cook looks to bolster his midfield after missing out on Joe Morrell to Portsmouth.

The Rams may be in a difficult situation financially at the moment but there is no way they should consider sanctioning such a deal.

Even with Shinnie now entering the final year of his contract, meaning the 30-year-old can walk away for nothing next summer should new terms not be agreed, letting the Scotsman leave right now could be a fatal blow to the East Midlands club's hopes of being a Championship club next season.

The central midfielder was pivotal to the Rams' survival last term and after the player exodus and nightmarish last few months, his influence looks set to be even more important this time around.

You only have to look at the other options available to Rooney in the centre of the park – 19-year-old Louie Sibley, 20-year-old Max Bird, 20-year-old Jason Knight, 23-year-old Krystian Bielik, and recent arrival Ravel Morrison – to understand just how important the experience and leadership that Shinnie offers will be this term.

Rooney has made his stance on any outgoing players very clear but as the fallout from Mel Morris' recent meeting with fans showed, everyone does not seem to be on the same page at Derby.

The stance over Shinnie's future is something they need to ensure they agree on – he simply can't leave the club this summer.