Despite a number of concerning injuries piling up at Pride Park, Derby County made it five matches unbeaten in League One last time out when beating Steve Evans' stern Stevenage side 1-0.
That victory was achieved without shining Rams star James Collins even being present, with Louie Sibley having to take over the goalscoring duties in place of the injury-stricken striker in the hard-fought win.
The third-tier promotion chasers have been boosted by the addition of former Newcastle United forward Dwight Gayle joining on a free transfer, but the Rams will regret letting one explosive attacker leave even more now when assessing their current lack of bodies up top.
Able to play down the wings or as a striker, this ex-Derby youngster is bettering Nathaniel Mendez-Laing's numbers whilst performing in the division above Warne's men.
Morgan Whittaker's time at Derby
Coming through the Derby academy to make his first-team debut with the Rams back in 2019, Morgan Whittaker would never really kick on in the senior set-up in Derbyshire unfortunately.
It would end up being a subdued end for Whittaker at the now League One club, after scoring a staggering 18 goals in just one season for the Derby U18's before making the jump up to the men's team.
The current Plymouth Argyle star only managed to help himself to one goal and one assist from 32 appearances when doing so, leaving the Rams after just two seasons playing in the first-team fold.
The Rams should have persisted, with hindsight on their side, to keep Whittaker around at Pride Park for longer – the "flamboyant" ex-Derby attacker, as he was once described by football talent scout Jacek Kulig, exploding into life ever since waving goodbye to the East Midlands outfit.
Morgan Whittaker's statistics since leaving Derby
Selling their former homegrown product for £700k now feels like a major blunder, considering the beast Whittaker has been transformed into playing for Plymouth this season.
Where Are They Now
Your star player or biggest flop has left the club but what are they doing in the present day? This article is part of Football FanCast's Where Are They Now series.
Failing to ever really settle at Swansea City in the direct aftermath of leaving the Rams, Whittaker has found a place to call his own and to skilfully strut his stuff on a regular basis in Devon.
This campaign alone for Ian Foster's Pilgrims, the silky 6 foot 2 attacker has managed a combined 26 goals and assists in all competitions with one of those strikes coming recently against his former Welsh employers.
In contrast, Mendez-Laing for Derby has one less contribution next to his name at 25. But, at 31 years of age, it wouldn't be out of the ordinary for the former Wolverhampton Wanderers winger to start deteriorating.
Whereas, Whittaker – who is just 23 years of age on the other hand – has plenty more years left in the tank compared to Mendez-Laing and could well get even better over time.
Now coming in at a boosted transfer worth in the region of €6.3m (£5.3m) according to Football Transfers, Derby really did drop a clanger getting rid of Whittaker when they did.
The Argyle winger will just aim to continue impressing at Home Park with a view to a major move away from Devon soon, Serie A giants Lazio notable admirers of the one-time Derby prospect.
Whereas, Derby will press on with what they have at their disposal currently with hopes that Dwight Gayle can fire in crucial goals playing alongside Mendez-Laing to win promotion up to the Championship.
