DUANE HOLMES
CLUB DERBY COUNTY POSITION MIDFIELDER Value £8m Age 24 Foot Right Height 1.68m Nation USA
THE STORY SO FAR: Born in Columbus, Georgia, to an American father and an English mother, Holmes swapped the States for Wakefield when he was four, joining Huddersfield’s under-9s back in 2002. “The accent lasted about two weeks,” he laughs. “It’s pure Yorkshire now, but I consider myself American.”
Undeterred by his 5ft 6in frame in the hurley burley of the Football League, the talented Holmes broke into the Terriers’ first team in September 2013, before spending loan spells at Yeovil and Bury.
Released in 2016, he began realising his potential at Scunthorpe, where his impish promptings helped them secure successive League One play-off places, scoring seven league goals in 2017-18.
Frank Lampard’s Derby County came calling on deadline day last summer and, after a couple of months to bed in, Holmes became a first-team regular after deputising for the injured Mason Mount in the Rams’ 3-1 victory against Birmingham in November.
Technically proficient, he can operate anywhere across the midfield, playing centrally since the turn of the year to great effect, like a Yorkshire Iniesta. A crucial absentee as Derby lost the Championship play-off final to Aston Villa, Holmes’ form earned him a USA cap in June, when he impressed against Jamaica. HE SAID: “I’m just happy my dad got to share this moment with me – a year ago I was playing for Scunthorpe!” he said after his USA debut. “I like to get on the ball and take players on, getting the fans’ bums off their seats.” THEY SAID: “Duane has an injection of pace – he can move away from people in midfield which opens up the space,” beamed Derby gaffer Lampard. “He’s a really exciting talent.” NICKNAME: Bruno Mars, as he looks like the award-winning singer (left). IDOLISED: Ronaldinho, despite growing up a Liverpool fan and trying to emulate Steven Gerrard. “The things he could do with the ball were amazing,” said Holmes. “He could single-handedly win a game.” SOCIAL MEDIA: The 24-year-old does a nice line in self-deprecating jokes about his height. Earlier this year, he tweeted a picture of himself on the end of a Derby defensive wall, barely at shoulder height next to the Rams’ left-back, Scott Malone: “Great mascot package at @dcfcofficial – they even let me play!” DID YOU KNOW? Duane’s deadline day transfer to Pride Park almost didn’t go through in time. “It went through with two minutes to spare,” he revealed at his unveiling. “It was nerve-wracking.”