New Derby County signing Efe Ambrose is to feature for the club’s U23s this afternoon when they take on the development squad of Liverpool.

The Derby Telegraph is reporting the 30-year-old defender will set up his match fitness having already played an hour in a previous U23s fixture against Bristol City recently.

Ambrose left Hibernian in the new year and signed on a deal until the end of the season with the Championship outfit.

Frank Lampard has been without Curtis Davies and will be for the rest of the season, and having loaned Alex Pearce out, extra cover at the back was needed.

The defender has not played a competitive game since the end of December and has been working hard on his fitness in the intervening time.

He has been brought in as competition and cover for the first-choice centre-back pairing of Richard Keogh and Fikayo Tomori.

And with the defender to step up his match fitness, a debut could be coming sooner rather than later.

The verdict

This is positive news for Rams fans who have had to contend with a lack of defensive cover with Davies injured and Pearce loaned out.

Having just the two in Keogh and Tomori available is dangerous, and it is timely that Ambrose is stepping up his fitness.

It won’t be long until he is making his Derby debut and giving one of the current defenders a break having not been able to be rested due to lack of options.