George Thorne has committed his future to Derby County by putting pen-to-paper on a new contract.





The midfielder has today signed a new two-and-a-half-year deal which will run until the end of the 2019/20 season.

Thorne was due to see his previous contract expire at the end of the current campaign.

The former West Bromwich Albion player missed all of last season as he recovered from a broken leg and has returned to make 16 appearances in all competitions so far this term.

After appearing off the bench earlier in the campaign he has featured in the starting line-up on a more regular basis in recent weeks.

He has started three of Derby’s last four matches ahead of tonight’s Sky Bet Championship clash against Bristol City at Pride Park Stadium (7:45pm kick-off).

Thorne, who has made 67 appearances for the Rams, is the second player in as many days to sign a new contract after goalkeeper Scott Carson penned fresh terms yesterday, while manager Gary Rowett committed his long-term future to the club last week.

Rowett said: “We’re pleased to get George signed up for the next couple of years and I am sure from his point of view too it’s nice to have his future settled.

“We know that George is a good player and he is another excellent option for us in midfield.

“He’s got better and sharper for the games that he has played and I am sure he will only continue to improve with the more minutes that he gets under his belt.”

Thorne commented: “I’m delighted to get the deal done and to be at Derby County for the next few years.

“It’s nice to have it all sorted off the back of the injury that I had last season; it was a difficult period for me but I feel this is a reward for the hard work it took to get back to this stage.

“I feel that the club has put faith in me and I really want to repay that. I said when I signed a few years ago that I wanted to help take this club back to the Premier League and that’s very much my ambition.

“We’ve got a great set of lads here and we’re all really enjoying our football. It’s great to be having that winning feeling and hopefully we can have a strong push between now and the end of the season.”