George Thorne: Derby County midfielder extends contract

Injury problems have restricted George Thorne (left) to just 67 appearances since first joining the Rams on loan in January 2014

Midfielder George Thorne has signed a new contract which keeps him at Derby County until the summer of 2020.

The 25-year-old, whose deal was set to expire in June 2018, has been plagued by injuries in recent seasons, but returned to action in September 2017 and has made 16 appearances.

Boss Gary Rowett told the club website: "He's got better and sharper.

"I am sure he will only continue to improve with the more minutes that he gets under his belt."

Thorne, who joined the Championship side from West Brom in 2014, said: "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 Derby back to the Premier League and that's very much my ambition."