SITTING talking to Nigel Clough at the end of last season about his thoughts on bolstering his squad, the subject turned to Derby County's midfield.
"It is difficult to improve on the midfield – it is the envy of a lot of clubs in our division," Clough said.
Derby can boast a quartet of midfielders as good as most in the Championship.
Will Hughes and Jeff Hendrick are two of the top young midfielders in the country and two products of the club's Academy.
Craig Bryson has impressed in his two seasons at the club and has proved a shrewd signing by Clough from Kilmarnock for around £450,000.
Paul Coutts had a good first season following his move from Preston North End. A steal at around £150,000.
The average age of the quartet is 22. Hughes is 18, Hendrick 21, Coutts 24 and Bryson 26.
Although all are central midfielders by choice, they have different qualities.
There is also plenty of potential for further improvement, another reason for Derby fans to look forward with hope to the new campaign.
What we saw of Hughes last season suggests he will be a key figure.
He was excellent in his first season in the senior side and he would have been a very strong contender for the player-of-the-year prize had he not been sidelined by a groin injury for two months.
The enforced break might prove a blessing in disguise and Clough believes the youngster will be even better this season, a mouth-watering prospect.
There are few, if any, players at 18 in the English game who display his composure on the ball as well as vision and the ability to deliver a perfectly-weighted pass.
At times, he makes the game look easy.
He ghosts into pockets of space, receives possession and already knows the destination of his pass.
I was invited to Moor Farm to watch Derby's first practice match of pre-season. The players had endured a gruelling week of running and fitness work including a session on the athletics track at Shobnall Fields, Burton.
Clough was so pleased with the work and fitness levels of his players he brought the practice match forward a few days.
The opening 20 minutes was sharp and Hughes was soon on the ball, dictating play, looking comfortable. One minute he would start play from a deep role, the next he would pop up inside the opposition half, as he did when he drifted into space, took the ball in his stride and slipped a pass for Callum Ball to finish.
Hughes has the ability to start moves but he is also capable of punishing teams when he appears in a more advanced midfield role.
Where, exactly, to play him in midfield is a dilemma.
Remember the goal he set up in the 3-1 victory over Middlesbrough on New Year's Day? Hughes showed wonderful footwork in what was a congested, tight space in the area.
He also had the awareness to pick out Michael Jacobs, whose low drive was parried by the goalkeeper and Conor Sammon was on to the loose ball in a flash to smash his finish high into the net.
Another of Hughes' many good moments last season came in the 2-1 defeat at Millwall.
He drifted forward to receive a pass from Bryson and Millwall stood off the youngster, probably expecting him to find a team-mate. Instead, he accepted the invitation to shoot and sent a swerving
20-yard drive past David Forde, who got a hand to the ball but could not keep it out of the top corner.
As we saw against Middlesbrough and Millwall, Hughes is capable of such moments when in possession just outside the area but it is also understandable why Derby want him on the ball in a deeper role to spark their play.
Opponents, of course, will look to stifle and dilute his influence. Such treatment is something he has to expect and find ways to combat, as he did in the home game against Leeds United in December.
Leeds shackled him in the early exchanges. However, his influence grew once gaps started to appear and he had another excellent game.
Top clubs in the Premier League are fully aware of Hughes, as they will be of his Derby team-mate Hendrick.
He endured a mixed bag last season. He struggled for form for much of the first half of the campaign. By his own admission, his confidence took a hit and his performances suffered.
The turning point came in the home victory over Leeds. Hendrick had been left out of the team for successive games in November and responded in the best possible way.
He scored in the next game, a 2-0 win against Bristol City at Ashton Gate, and did not look back.
His powerful surges became a feature of Derby's play in the second half of the season. Looking strong and confident, he added five more goals to take his season's tally to seven. The best by a Derby midfielder.
International recognition also boosted belief.
He made his senior debut for the Republic of Ireland in February as a substitute against Poland. Three more caps followed including a start in a friendly against world champions Spain.
Hendrick is likely to become a regular starter for his country if he continues to develop – and sooner rather than later should Republic of Ireland fail to reach next summer's World Cup finals in Brazil.
Many Derby supporters find Bryson's continued exclusion from the Scotland squad difficult to fathom but what he does in a Derby shirt is of more importance and relevance.
Bryson has had an impact at Derby. The energy and desire he has shown in the majority of his 85 appearances for the club have made him a favourite with the fans.
He covers miles in each game but there is much more to his game.
His running can shred defences and take him into areas that can hurt teams.
He is also tough to track, and this allows him to pop up in the box at just the right moment as we saw when he gleefully ran the ball into the net for Rams' winning goal against Nottingham Forest at the City Ground.
The goal came 10 minutes after the break and was beautifully worked.
John Brayford exchanged passes with Hughes and stormed into a gap. He found Coutts to his right and his first-time centre into the six-yard box had Forest's defence in trouble. Sammon got the slightest of touches before Bryson scored from a yard out.
The 4,500 Derby fans behind the goal had a perfect view and enjoyed the moment to the full.
All Bryson's five goals came from close range as he finished off slick moves. Seeing the ball slammed into the top corner from 30 yards is spectacular but goals that are a product of neat passing and moving are a joy. The beauty is in the construction.
Bryson agrees he should score more goals. He has 11 in his 85 games.
He is less effective when asked to fill a wider role in midfield, as he did on the left at times last season. His strength is being involved in the middle of the pitch from where he can motor, with or without the ball.
I am told when he was at Kilmarnock he was at his most effective on the left of a midfield three.
Derby look to have done some good business this summer in landing Lee Grant, Chris Martin, Johnny Russell and Craig Forsyth. Agreeing a new deal with Bryson was as good as a new signing.
Coutts is another of Derby's midfielders who knows he should score more goals.
He hit two in 47 appearances last season and has seven in 174 career League games.
"Paul has done brilliantly for us," said Clough. "We think the only area of his game he needs to improve is his goals. He got two for us last season. Given the way we play, it is not enough."
Coutts has forged an effective and productive partnership with John Brayford down Derby's right but I understand he prefers to play more centrally and he has looked comfortable in there when handed the opportunity.
He is at ease in possession and his side-foot passing is often simple, and crisp.
Knowing he can fill either role gives Clough options in a four or three-man midfield.
What would be nice to see is Coutts, Hendrick, Bryson and Hughes shoot more when the opportunity arises.
There were occasions last season when they overlooked the chance to test the goalkeeper when 20 or 25 yards out.
How the quartet will fit into Derby's team this season remains to be seen.
At times last season, one or two had to play slightly out of position, Bryson or Hughes on the left being examples.
The balance never felt right when that happened and one of the tasks facing the manager and his coaching staff is to find formations to house three or even four of the quartet in the 11.
But Derby's midfield is not just about the four.
Ben Davies showed in the second half of last season just how valuable he is to the squad.
The 32-year-old made only one start and six appearances as a substitute before the turn of the year and uncertainty surrounded his future at the club.
There was talk of him going out on loan but he kept plugging away.
He featured more and finished the season having made 26 appearances (nine starts) and scored five goals.
"The second half of the season was enjoyable. It was nice to contribute and score a few goals," said Davies on signing a new one-year deal in May.
"As a footballer there is nothing worse than just training and not playing but in the second half of the season I was involved and playing games."
Clough praised the professionalism of the player.
"Ben's been important for us, both when we've started with him and when he's come off the bench in games," said Clough.
"He understands he might not be starting every week but he appreciates how highly we value him and knows he can still have an impact on the side."
Michael Jacobs' first season at Derby following his move from Northampton Town was always going to be a learning curve for the
21-year-old.
He still managed to feature in 41 of the 49 games, usually on the left side of midfield, although he had a brief spell in attack.
Flashes of his talent and potential were seen, including a sweet strike in the home defeat by Hull. He does look a real threat when he cuts in on his right foot.
The task for him this season is to push on and challenge for more starts. He made 15 last season.
