Derby County have not had the start to their off-season that they would have liked - that much is certain.

The Rams obviously had the disappointment of falling short in the play-offs to get over but they were hopeful they could with Gary Rowett making all the right noises.

Since, however, it's become evident that the club might need to be frugal with their spending and, of course, the Rams have also lost their manager to Stoke.

Indeed, it's not the plan they would have had in mind to get a play-off challenge going in 2018/19 but with the right appointment, they could still challenge for the top six.

It's one they need to get right and get sorted soon, though, with plenty of other clubs looking for new managers at the moment and so we've been thinking about who they should swoop for.

Have a look and see what you think...

Mick McCarthy is a manager who knows how to get results on a shoestring.

Derby are by no means skint but they are going to have to tighten their belts this summer by the looks of things.

They need a manager who knows how to deal with that and still deliver and McCarthy is one of the best at doing so.

He can win promotion, too.

Dean Smith is a good manager who would have the Rams playing football the fans like.

Some sections of the Pride Park support think that Rowett played boring football at times during his reign.

Smith, however, prides himself on a passing game and that would go down well with the Rams' technical players.

Carvalhal might have lost a bit of stock in overseeing Swansea's relegation and it going south with Sheffield Wednesday but he does still have a bit about him.

He would bring positivity to the Rams and with them surely feeling down after what's gone on in the last couple of weeks that might be exactly what they need.

It is, of course, a risk though.