Irish international Alex Pearce secures loan move away from Derby to Millwall

He has nine caps for the Republic of Ireland.

Ireland international Alex Pearce has left Derby County to join Millwall on loan until the end of the season. The central defender joined Derby from Reading in 2015, but has only made one appearance for Frank Lampard's team during the current campaign. Pearce leaves in search of first-team football and joins a Millwall team who are 19th in the Championship table with 28 points from 26 games, six points clear of the relegation zone. The 30-year-old defender started his career with Reading, playing 240 times for the club across nine seasons, including one campaign in the Premier League. Pearce has also earned nine caps for the Republic of Ireland and scored two goals for the country - both against Oman. He was in Ireland squads in 2018 for matches against Turkey, France and the United States, but didn't play a minute in any of the games. However, with some first-team football at Millwall, and Mick McCarthy's appointment as Ireland manager, he could be in contention to feature for the team in the Euro 2020 qualifiers against Gibraltar and Georgia in March. McCarthy is likely to have an open mind and give every player an opportunity to prove themselves worthy of a place in his squad.