Can Bobby Duncan find redemption at Pride Park?

Bobby Duncan’s Italian adventure is all but over in the short space of a year after agreeing on personal terms with Derby County. The 19-year-old will leave behind breathtaking renaissance art, exquisite architecture, and compelling historical monuments for the lush green surroundings of Derbyshire. To anyone not up to date with Duncan’s story in football so far, this may indeed look like a transfer that signals the start of a prosperous journey in professional football. Not quite. 

The harsh reality of it is that Duncan, despite his age, has managed to arrive at the most defining crossroads of his career as he joins a team that has a youth-driven focus. Let’s quickly go back to the beginning of what has been a career dominated by staggeringly poor decision making. 

What led to young Bobby ending up under the Tuscan sun?

Not many people outside of Merseyside would have known who Bobby Duncan was before the summer of 2019 but that would all change after his agent at the time, Saif Rubie, launched a scathing verbal attack on Liverpool.

Less than a week later the Reds accepted a £2 million fee for Duncan from Fiorentina. Now, it may seem like Duncan was an unwitting victim of his agent’s acts but the unsavoury reality is that he and his family were very much the driving force behind Rubie’s ill-advised tirade. The teenager even retweeted Rubie’s statement before deleting it a few hours later. 

It was all an unbelievable shame given how hard Duncan had pressed for a move from Man City’s academy to Liverpool’s one as a 17-year-old. The man born in Whiston is a lifelong Liverpool supporter and even turned down a lucrative contest from City that would have made the striker an extremely wealthy man once he turned 18. Instead, Duncan opted for Anfield and a pittance of £1,500 a week whilst he learned his trade at the club he loved. 

pic.twitter.com/2VkXG9MnEt

— Bobby Duncan (@bobbyduncan999) September 28, 2019

If it all sounds like a needless tragedy so far then you would be correct, and that’s before you have even heard the kicker; Duncan is none other than Steven Gerrard’s cousin. 

This regrettable episode would have left a family with strong ties to Liverpool extremely red-faced. Still, everyone connected to the situation put on a stiff upper lip and wished the youngster well in Italy, Well, here we are today, with Duncan poised to leave the Tuscan sun for the intermittent rain in Derby, but it could be the best move in the situation.

An unlikely match made in heaven?

The dark clouds have been gathering above Pride Park for some time now given that the team seems to be regressing under Phillip Cocu’s management. The Rams have lost their opening two games of the season and seem to be in a sort of free fall. Tellingly, the most popular betting companies in the UK have Derby at odds of around 8/1 to be relegated which should tell you everything you need to know about the projected trajectory that the Pride Park side are expected to take.

Bobby Duncan scores goals 🔥

23 goals in 26 games for Liverpool’s Under-18s 🥶

One for the future 🙌 pic.twitter.com/XR0BJU7P15

— Derby County Live (@dcfc_live) September 24, 2020

These are undoubtedly worrying times for the Rams and there’s no suggestion that Duncan’s arrival will be the magic bullet for Derby. Indeed, a time of integration with the U-23s awaits the player but if they can stay in the Championship this season and avoid relegation, they could have arguably one of England’s greatest ever teenage prospects leading the line in the seasons to come.

These days, Derby are relying on a host of youngsters to get them to the Premier League but they are now in a time of challenging transition as they look to forge a new identity. Once they do, this will be a team dominated by youth that plays an attractive brand of football that is very easy on the eye.

This is indeed a time of consolidation for not only Derby but Duncan as well. Both have lost their way and face a future of obscurity if they are unable to find that upward trajectory once more.

Either way, Bobby Duncan is a name that will never be forgotten in football. The striker will either be remembered for fulfilling his potential and becoming one of the best forwards the Premier League has ever seen, or his name will be used as the lead protagonist in the ultimate cautionary tale about the perils of being impatient.