Iron teen joins Rams

They did all they could to keep him but Scunthorpe weren't able to prevent Charles Vernam from joining Derby.

The Iron offered the 16-year-old a scholarship but he, unlike three others offered these deals, declined this much to general manager David Beeby's disappointment.

Having checked out the facilities on offer from Derby it was decided that this wasn't an offer he could refuse: 'When Derby came in for Charles both he and his father were keen to explore their options, which is understandable. They have a really good set-up at Derby and when they had a look around they were keen for the move to happen.

'Charles' contract was due to expire at the end of the season and he could have signed for Derby with the fee set by the new Elite Player Performance Plan compensation which has just come in. We had offered Charles a scholarship last season but he was the only one of four boys not to accept it.

'The club worked hard to try and persuade Charles to stay. While we are disappointed Charles isn't staying with us, we wish him well and hope he becomes a success. We are proud of our involvement in developing him and will watch out with interest on how his career progresses.'

An undisclosed amount has taken Vernam to Pride Park.

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