Wayne Rooney makes Lee Buchanan claim as he aims to resolve Derby County selection dilemma

Derby County manager Wayne Rooney has admitted that he believes that Lee Buchanan is suited to the centre-back role.

The Rams will be without defender Richard Stearman for their upcoming clashes with Hull City, Middlesbrough and Peterborough United after he was shown a red card in their 2-0 defeat to Huddersfield Town last night and thus they will need to turn to someone else for inspiration in these fixtures.

Buchanan switched from left-back to centre-back at the John Smith’s Stadium as he played alongside Curtis Davies.

Derby are short of senior options in this area as they were unable to draft in a replacement for Phil Jagielka in the January transfer window due to the fact that they were recently placed under an embargo by the EFL.

If Buchanan is utilised in the heart of the club’s defence, Craig Forsyth is likely to feature at full-back as he has made 17 appearances in this position during the current campaign.

Following his side’s clash with Huddersfield, Rooney shared his thoughts on Buchanan’s suitability for the centre-back role.

Speaking to the Derby Telegraph about the 20-year-old, Rooney said:  “I like Lee [Buchanan] as a centre back.

“It is something I have been looking at in training for a bit with his speed and he is good in the air.

“So it was an easy one really to put him in [against Huddersfield].”

The Verdict

With Rooney needing to find a solution to this selection dilemma, it wouldn’t be at all surprising if Buchanan is handed the opportunity to impress again at centre-back.

During yesterday’s meeting with Huddersfield, the defender managed to make five clearances whilst he also won one aerial duel (as per WhoScored).

Given that Rooney has ruled out the possibility of selecting Krystian Bielik as a