Derby County are the latest Championship club to furlough their non-playing staff, with many other clubs outside the Premier League considering the same move amid the coronavirus pandemic.

Telegraph Sport understands that Derby have taken action to safeguard their short-term future by placing around 120 members of regular staff on temporary leave in a bid to avoid redundancies.

Staff at the east Midlands club will receive 80 per cent of their salary through the government's job retention scheme, but it is understood Derby are not making up the difference so it is effectively a 20% pay cut while the season is suspended.

On Wednesday, however, Derby are expected to announce a major initiative to support the local community and the staff, backed by manager Phillip Cocu and first-team players.

Derby are also discussing wage reductions with their players and the Professional Footballers' Association, with the season on hold.

Wayne Rooney, the record goalscorer for England and Manchester United, was highly critical of the Premier League for their handling of the pay cut row in his newspaper column last weekend.

Derby are currently 12th in the Championship and discussing a possible financial injection with two parties: one of which is MSD Capital, owned by American investor Michael Dell.

Cardiff, Swansea, Millwall and Luton have also furloughed the majority of their non-playing staff as fears over finances grip English football's second tier. Many other clubs in the Championship are also considering their next move.

Premier League clubs such as Liverpool, Tottenham and Bournemouth have come under scrutiny after furloughing staff as there is a huge disparity with income, leaving many Championship clubs with little choice but to take drastic measures.

Birmingham were the first Championship club to make the request to their players, with those earning over £6,000 a week asked to accept a 50 per cent cut for the next four months.

Championship leaders Leeds have also taken action by capping the salary of players at £6,000 a week, with owner Andrea Radrizzani admitting that Covid-19 is "a disaster" for the economy of football.