Derby Chairman Mel Morris has spoken of his excitement at being able to appoint Philip Cocu, as well as his reasons behind the decision.

Cocu arrives hot on the heels of Frank Lampard's departure, and becomes the first ever non-British manager of The Rams.

The former Netherlands international has carried his successful playing career into management, winning six trophies in five years in his time as PSV manager.

Morris believes Derby fans have a lot to be excited about, with the possibility of brining in more European players. He also stated that Derby's youth players now have a brilliant opportunity to break into the first-team.

Speaking to RamsTV, Morris said: "Straight away there was a connection with Philip and his assistant manager Chris [van der Weerden].

"What impressed us was they were talking about not only our philosophy but their philosophy and the match was uncannily similar - the examples of it are style of play, the inclusion of younger players in the mix, the tempo of the game,  so philosophically the fit was very very strong.

"With Frank moving on we wanted to try and build on that momentum, and some of the parallels are quite striking.

"There's a lot of achievements there [in Cocu's career], achievements that were in the back drop of having to cut budgets and having to play younger players. He has a very strong track record of building value in the playing squad, not just in the youth players but the senior players as well."

Morris also spoke of Lampard's departure, and explained it was his decision to tell Lampard that he didn't need to return for pre-season training.

He also hopes that the club can continue its relationship with Chelsea now Lampard is in charge, so there is potential to take players on loan once again.

The Verdict

When the search for a new manager was ongoing Morris stated he wanted someone who fit the club's philosophy and trusted young players, and it appears he has got the perfect fit in Cocu.

He has done well to persuade him to join, although Cocu also seemed eager for the move and had done his best to learn about the club prior to interview.

The continuation Morris speaks of should make a real difference. The players will be used to Cocu's style and that should translate into results straight away.