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Derby County manager Phillip Cocu has to consider letting Jamie Paterson and Kieran Dowell return to their parent clubs in the January transfer window as he looks to reshape his squad.

The pair both arrived on season-long loan deals in the summer, with Paterson joining from Championship rivals Bristol City and Dowell signing from Premier League Everton, as Cocu looked to replace the likes of Harry Wilson and Mason Mount.

However, Paterson has not featured for Derby in their last three Championship matches, with his last appearance coming from the bench in the Rams’ 1-0 defeat at rivals Nottingham Forest, while he has not started since Cocu’s side beat Wigan Athletic 1-0 back in October.

Dowell, meanwhile, has also found minutes hard to come by in the Championship in recent weeks, with an appearance off the bench in the 3-0 defeat at Fulham his only involvement during the Rams’ last five matches, having made a rare start in the 2-0 loss at Hull City at the end of October.

Paterson has managed to produce one goal and provide two assists from his ten appearances in the Championship for Derby, but he has recently been frozen out by Cocu, who has even elected to bring on Morgan Whittacker instead of the attacker during the last few games.

There has been a similar issue with Dowell’s lack of involvement, with the attacking midfielder contributing just a single assist in his eight league appearances so far this campaign for the Rams, which has seen him fall out of favour with Cocu.

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Derby have at times this season been lacking creativity, especially away from home with the Rams not scoring in any of their last four matches on their travels, and Cocu’s side will be needing to address that issue during the winter window if they are to improve their inconsistent form.

Were Derby to bring in any more creative players, it would push both Paterson and Dowell even further down the pecking order, which could mean the best decision for all parties could be to allow them to return back to their parent clubs in January.

That would free up some more funds and space for Cocu to add to his squad in other areas that need improving in terms of depth, so it would make sense for two players who are not really featuring to be allowed to leave in what could be a vital month for the club.