Derby County are rebuilding under Phillip Cocu this season in the Championship, with a mix of youth and experience giving the Rams something to look forward to.

Wayne Rooney’s arrival has undoubtedly lifted Cocu’s troops, but the emergence of young stars including Max Bird and Jason Knight has given the club a sense of pride.

Pride Park has, of course, seen a number of promising players emerge through their academy over the years, which leads us down the route of picking out EIGHT of the very best.

A few of the current side feature, as well as those who have moved on to forge a career in the Premier League away from Derby.

Included in our picks, we lean on transfermarkt and their valuations to give our list some structure…

Mutch was part of the Derby youth team before departing for Birmingham City, who offered him a route into senior football.

The midfielder has gone on to make over 200 senior appearances since then, playing for the likes of Cardiff, QPR, Crystal Palace and Reading.

He has a market value of £720k.

Huddlestone clocked up 90 appearances for Derby after passing through their academy, before moving on and forging a successful career with Tottenham and Hull City.

Now, he’s back at Pride Park and has added another 90 appearances to his Derby tally.

His market value, like Mutch, is £720k.

Knight is part of the current squad at Derby and has made 26 appearances across all competitions this season.

He’s returned four goals too, which has helped earn him a new long-term deal with Derby.

With a growing reputation, Knight’s current market value is £1.17m.

Bird is another member of the current Derby squad, with the midfielder impressing under Cocu.

The 19-year-old has managed 18 appearances this season and has impressed Rooney as the pair have linked up in midfield.

Currently, Bird’s market value us £1.17m, but that will surely rocket.

Lowe has made 25 appearances in the Championship this season, but the full-back doesn’t seem quite as settled as other youngsters within the first-team right now.

He’s had loans with Shrewsbury and Aberdeen, which have helped Lowe’s development.

His market value is currently £1.44m, but Knight and Bird are likely to go for a lot more than Lowe.

Bogle has been exceptional since breaking into the first-team at Derby, with the right-back scoring two goals and registering nine assists last season.

He’s scored once this season and added another four assists to his tally in the Championship, becoming one of the division’s best right-backs.

A market value of £5.67m, but if he was to move on, it’d be much, much more.

The Irishman progressed through the ranks at Derby and went on to make over 200 appearances for the Rams.

Since then, he’s joined Burnley and made another 100+ appearances, establishing himself in the Premier League.

Now, the 28-year-old’s market value stands at £8.10m – a success story of the Derby academy.

Who else?

With a market value of £13.05m, the current Watford midfielder tops this list.

Hughes made 187 appearances for Derby after progressing out of the club’s academy, with his performances in midfield way beyond his years.

That earned him a move into the Premier League with Watford, where he’s made 68 top-flight appearances.

Quiz: Can you identify these 15 Derby County players by looking at these pixelated images?