Derby County manager Wayne Rooney has admitted that Festy Ebosele could potentially be in contention to start for the club in their clash with Millwall on Saturday.

The 19-year-old made a cameo appearance in yesterday's showdown with Barnsley.

Although Ebosele was unable to prevent his side from suffering a 2-1 defeat in this particular showdown, he did manage to illustrate some signs of promise at Oakwell.

Derby initially made a positive start to this particular fixture as Sam Baldock opened the scoring in the 24th minute.

However, Barnsley responded to this setback by levelling proceedings via a strike from Victor Adeboyejo.

Following the break, Aaron Leya Iseka gave the Tykes the lead as he fired past Derby goalkeeper Kelle Roos.

As a result of this defeat, the Rams missed out on the opportunity to leapfrog Barnsley in the Championship standings.

Making reference to Ebosele, Rooney has admitted that he was impressed by the impact that the teenager was able to make against the Tykes and has suggested that he could be in contention to feature this weekend.

Speaking to the Derby Telegraph about the Republic of Ireland Under-21 international, Rooney said: "I thought Festy was excellent when he came on, he played with energy, courage to take the ball, courage to run at players.

"For someone of a young age with not much experience, I thought he was excellent.

"He has really given me something to think about in terms of whether he starts the game on Saturday."

The Verdict

When you consider that Derby need to pick up victories on a regular basis this season if they are to avoid relegation to League One, their players will have to step up to the mark in the club's upcoming fixtures.

Utilised as a full-back as well as a winger by Rooney in recent months, Ebosele has managed to show glimpses of his talent in the Championship.

When you consider that Derby will need to find a spark from somewhere this weekend if they are to return to winning ways in their showdown with Milwall, it wouldn't be at all surprising if Rooney opts to turn to Ebosele for inspiration.

Particular impressive during the Rams' 0-0 draw with Preston North End last month, Ebosele made four tackles and completed three successful dribbles in this fixture as he recorded a WhoScored match rating of 7.40 at Deepdale.

By replicating this display in Saturday's clash, the Derby academy graduate could help his side secure a positive result at The Den.