Derby County are a club in crisis. The Rams are enduring an administration which has seen them fall to the bottom-of-the-table due to a 12-point deduction after a summer whereby incoming transfer business was all but halted, but for the odd free transfer to be able to name 18 players in a matchday squad.
And yet, there remain a few shining lights. Their academy has been one of the most impressive producers of talent in recent years with an impressive run in the UEFA Youth League highlighting what is coming through. From Louie Sibley to Lee Buchanan and Jason Knight, there is a production line.
There is one key player that is beginning to stand out above the rest, though. Max Bird.
A proper breakthrough
Opportunities have arisen for younger players, not just because of their obvious quality, but due to the aforementioned off-the-field issues at Derby. Max Bird has been keen and emphatic in his acceptance of that opportunity and he is relishing a key role this season.
Bird was given the number eight shirt at the start of the 2020/21 season but the left-footed central midfielder only managed 21 starts throughout the campaign, despite being captain on the opening day in a 2-0 loss at home to Reading.
It wasn’t until this season when Bird became a true regular and key man in the centre of the Derby midfield. The 21 year-old has played 90 minutes in ten out of 11 matches this season for Derby with a substitute appearance away at West Brom thrown in the middle of that sequence. To be playing that regularly, in such a competitive league at such a chaotic club, highlights a maturity and reliability beyond his years.
He netted his first Derby goal on the 18th of September as The Rams surprised Stoke City with a 2-1 win just days after administration was announced.
Growing under Rooney
The impact of Wayne Rooney appears to have been a profound and extremely helpful one on Max Bird. The former England captain was a teammate of Bird for a spell before becoming his manager.
As his teammate, Rooney described his job as being made easier in midfield because:
“He gets the ball and moves it on. He keeps it simple and defends well. He has been great, to play alongside him has made my job easier.”
With these comments and the level of praise, it is unsurprising that a footballer who was as intelligent as Rooney, has promoted Bird from on the periphery to a key role at Pride Park.
Key characteristics and attributes
The aforementioned maturity and reliability in the middle-of-the-pitch that Bird offers, a characteristic beyond his years, is matched and emphasised by Rooney’s comments in 2020.
Alongside his ability to be a smart, defensive-minded midfielder that offers a level of control and protection to his side, he has an easy-on-the-eye passing technique. It is perhaps a cliché to suggest a left-footed midfielder is often better to watch but, there must be some truth to it as the way Bird strokes the ball is aesthetically pleasing.
That technique can be seen across his game as he seeks to control the tempo of matches in midfield.
Derby look set for a battle against relegation to League One but it seems distinctly unlikely that, regardless of what happens, Max Bird will ever be playing in the third division of English football. He is yet to be capped by England at youth level but may not be far away from that.
🗨 "It’s hard to comprehend that nearly four years ago to the day we lost 1-0 away at Accrington in League Two."
— playmakerstats (@playmaker_EN) October 5, 2021
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