Gary Rowett will look to shape his Derby squad this summer as he prepares for a Championship promotion push in 2017/18.

After a poor run of form which saw Derby drop out of the play-off race, Steve McClaren was sacked and former Rams player Gary Rowett was appointed ahead of the season's closing stages.

Rowett had the final nine games of the 2016/17 season to assess and experiment with his squad ahead of the transfer window, and in those nine games Derby picked up some decent results, but it is clear that changes need to be made.

The Rams kept just one clean sheet in Rowett's nine matches in charge, and their sloppy defending cost them several points which meant they eventually finished in ninth place, 13 points from the top six.

Rowett does need to chop and change his squad, but one way to bring new players to the squad without spending money is to give some of the youth team players a chance.

Here's TWO players that who could be in the Rams first team next in 2017/18 given they have a good pre-season.....

 

Jamie Hanson

Jamie Hanson is yet to play under Gary Rowett, since he was out on loan at Wigan during the final five months of the season.

The 21-year-old has 25 league appearances to his name, including 14 starts, however his fellow centre defensive midfielders George Thorne and Bradley Johnson have always been the preferred choices at Pride Park so Hanson has never really had a run in the team.

The youngster is a good player and offers versatility to the Rams squad, not only can he play in front of the back four, but he has also appeared at full-back on a couple of occasions too.

Hanson never shies out of a tackle and is a good winner of the ball.

Jamie Hanson does deserve a run in the team, however it'll be difficult to break into the team next season as it's looking likely that both George Thorne and Bradley Johnson will be fit to compete.

Mason Bennett

Mason Bennett has been on the edge of breaking into the Derby first team on a number of occasions but has failed to solidify a place in the team.

Since his debut in 2011, Bennett has made 36 appearances in all competitions, but only 4 of those have been starts.

In 2016/17, Bennett made 2 outings, one of which came in Rowett's first match away to Nottingham Forest.

As well as the two appearances for Derby this season, Bennett was named on the bench a handful of times under Rowett too, which wasn't the case under previous managers Paul Clement or Nigel Pearson.

A lot of Derby supporters would love to see Mason Bennett make it as a first team Derby player, and if he impresses over the summer and is part of Gary Rowett's plans, then that could be the case in the near future.

Derby fans... Would you like to see either Hanson or Bennett in the starting XI next season? Let us know your thoughts and opinions in the comments below!