Former Portsmouth and Spurs man handed surprise Derby switch after falling out of favour at Forest Green

The former Pompey player has completed a surprise loan switch to Pride Park for the rest of the season in the hunt for first-team involvement.

McGee, who was an ever-present for last season’s League Two title winners, has been frozen out since the turn of the year following the signing of Ross Doohan.

Arriving from Tranmere earlier this month, Doohan has been installed as Rovers’ number one, with McGee subsequently not included in the last four League One squads.

Instead Lewis Thomas has been serving on the bench as deputy keeper, leaving the one-time Spurs stopper out in the cold.

Now McGee has linked up with Derby, following West Ham’s decision to recall Joseph Anang from an injury-hit season-long loan.

Having broken an arm in his second training session, the 22-year-old has subsequently never played for Derby and effectively became third choice.

Instead Joe Wildsmith has been an ever-present in the league, FA Cup and Carabao Cup for the Rams, amassing 34 appearances so far.

His deputy is veteran Scott Loach, who has featured three times in the Papa Johns Trophy this term, while occupied the bench for all but three of their League One programme.

McGee will be expected to vie with both in a congested fight for the number one spot at the fourth-placed Rams.

It was Pompey who granted him his Football League debut after signing the keeper for an undisclosed fee from Spurs in July 2017.

McGee made 50 appearances in his maiden Fratton Park campaign, the joint-highest with Jamal Lowe among Kenny Jackett’s squad.

However, 12 months later he found himself as number two following the free transfer arrival of Craig MacGillivray from Shrewsbury.

He would make a further five appearances – all in cup competitions – in 2018-19, only to then be replaced by Alex Bass as number two.

Following more than a year without a match, he was then sent out on loan to Bradford for the second half of a 2019-20 season curtailed by Covid.

Inevitably McGee was handed a free transfer in the summer of 2020 and joined Forest Green, where he totalled 109 appearances and was a mainstay of their 2021-22 promotion side.

Yet, after 25 appearances for the League One strugglers this term, he hadn’t featured since a 3-1 home loss against Port Vale on New Year’s Day.

Now the 27-year-old will be challenging for a place at Derby, with former side Pompey scheduled to visit the East Midlands in April.