"It hasn't worked" - Derby County & John Eustace told to cut loose transfer gamble this summer | OneFootball

The striker has made just two appearances for the Rams since joining in February, but he is now out injured for the next month.

This article is part of Football League World's 'Terrace Talk' series, which provides personal opinions from our FLW Fan Pundits regarding the latest breaking news, teams, players, managers, potential signings and more...

Derby County's chance of Championship survival has been boosted greatly in the last week, with back-to-back wins at home against play-off hopefuls Blackburn Rovers and Coventry City.

The latter of those was particularly impressive as the Rams struck twice without reply against Frank Lampard's Sky Blues, who had won nine of their last 10 matches heading into the clash, allowing John Eustace's side to close the gap to Cardiff City to just one point.

Confidence levels have skyrocketed in this time, and the Pride Park tenants will be looking forward to the challenge that awaits this weekend as they make the long journey south to Plymouth Argyle, who picked up their first away victory of the season on Wednesday against Portsmouth.

However, Derby are still struggling with injuries, and they are currently operating with just one fit striker, leaving question marks over the future of a new addition to the squad.

Verdict made on Kemar Roofe's long-term future at Derby

Kemar Roofe signed for the Rams in February as a free agent until the end of the campaign, but life in black-and-white has not gone well for the former Leeds United striker so far.

He made two cameo appearances under Eustace before being struck down by a hamstring injury that will see him miss the next four to six weeks of action. It's an incredibly frustrating situation for the club to find themselves in once again, and the 32-year-old will have just a couple of weeks to prove his worth.

Football League World has asked their Derby Fan Pundit, Shaun Woodward, if he believes the number nine should be handed a new deal in the summer, or if he will part ways.

He told FLW: "My gut feeling is I don't think we'd look to give him a new contract after this season. He's barely kicked a ball in a year, and he was a free agent for a reason.

"His injury record is not great, and he’s come into the squad and we took a punt on him, but it hasn't worked. He's got injured straight away."

Shaun continued: "So for me, I'd stay well clear.

"I think back in the day, he would have been a real asset to Derby, but at the age he's at now and with his injury record, I think there's much better players out there that are 10 years younger who we're going to get a lot more value for money.

"So, no, I don't think it's worth it. That's not to say we wouldn't do it, but I just think gut feeling we won’t."

Kemar Roofe must not have his deal extended at Derby County

While it is unfortunate that Roofe has not been able to have any sort of impact at Derby due to injury, this is a clear indication as to why he must not be offered a new deal in the summer, as it would prove to be an expensive mistake.

He struggled with Rangers for consistent football, and spent a lot of his final year at the club in the treatment room as his contract started to run out.

With such struggles, it would be extremely irresponsible of the Rams to keep Roofe on for another year and they must look elsewhere for goalscoring talent next season.

Eustace will have his own list of targets, and it would be hugely surprising if the 32-year-old is on that list, with his time at Derby surely due to come to an end as quickly as it started.