Derby County winger Johnny Russell has rejected contract offers from the club and wants to move to the MLS, according to Derby’s official twitter account.
The 27 year-old winger wants to leave the Rams and move to America this month. This news has certainly raised some eyebrows.
Russell joined Derby County in 2013 and has been a key player for them since, playing over 150 games for the Rams. The Scotland international has been a good servant to the club but the news that he wants to leave and move to the MLS has made some question his commitment.
The Rams are flying high in the Championship this season under Gary Rowett and are 2nd in the league behind the leaders Wolves. They have a very strong squad and have a real chance of promotion to the Premier League. Losing Johnny Russell would be a blow to their promotion chances and they may have to look for a replacement.
Russell was born in Glasgow and started his career with Dundee United. He had loan spells out at Forfar Athletic and Raith Rovers as a youngster before breaking into Dundee United’s first-team. He played over 100 games for them before being snapped up by Derby in 2013 for a fee of around £750,000.
A move to the MLS for Russell would be a shock as it is usually where players go at the end of their career. Nevertheless, it is obviously a lifestyle that appeals to him and a career choice that he wishes to pursue now.
