Derby County defender Eiran Cashin has admitted “wondering” about the possibility of leaving the club earlier in the season after he was told he may not be able to play because of restrictions on the Rams’ squad size.
Cashin has become a popular figure at Derby County since breaking into Wayne Rooney’s first-team.
The Irish talent has successfully nailed down a starting spot at Pride Park, starting in all of the Rams’ last eight Championship games after playing only twice before the New Year.
The restrictions placed upon Derby County as a result of their ongoing administration have had serious, widescale impacts on the day-to-day running of the club, and Cashin has now shed light on how he and fellow academy graduate Liam Thompson were affected.
As quoted by Derbyshire Live, the centre-back discussed a meeting Rams boss Rooney held with both himself and Thompson and their parents to explain the situation, with restrictions on the playing squad size stopping the players from featuring in competitive games. Cashin admitted it was tough to go through, stating he wondered about having to assess his options and looking elsewhere for first-team football.
“I have been at Derby since I was a kid, and when you get told you might not be able to play you do have to start wondering whether you have to go somewhere else or look at different opportunities and options,” he said.
“But I wanted to stay here, and with Tommo being in the same boat it helped to have someone to talk to who understands that frustration and what you are going through.
“We dealt with it and now we are here.”
Kicking on
Now, both players are a part of Rooney’s first-team plans and the previous frustrations look to be behind them.
Cashin, 20, and Thompson, 19, are both highly talented players and look as though they could have important roles in Derby County’s future, but the off-pitch saga continues to put the club in jeopardy. The academy graduates are out of contract at the end of this season and, as it stands, new contracts still can’t be offered to players.
