Johnny can cope but he isn't walking yet

A window of opportunity still remains for other interested clubs, namely Celtic, Serie A outfit Catania and Premiership newcomers Crystal Palace, to match Derby's offer, and given the Parkhead club's enthusiasm to be kept informed of the minutiae of Russell's transfer, it would seem rather strange if they declined the opportunity to do so. Time is of the essence and assuming Russell finds everything to his satisfaction when given the hard sell on Monday, the player will have a weighty decision on his hands. Russell was originally brought to the club by youth scout Graham Liveston but few have watched his progress more closely, nor are keener that he arrives at the correct career conclusion, than Stevie Campbell, the Tannadice youth coach. For purely selfish reasons – not to mention early money in the Tannadice transfer kitty – Campbell would prefer the Derby deal went through. But whatever happens, he will go with his best wishes.

"You get close to the boys over the years," said Campbell. "We have resigned ourselves to the fact he is definitely going, that is for sure, now it is just a case of picking the right team and the right move. From a personal point of view I would like to see him go south because I don't want to play against him four times a year. He is from Coatbridge, so he would obviously love to play for Celtic. If he went there we would shake him by the hand and send him on his way, but knowing Johnny he would probably come back and score a hat-trick against us."

Selecting your next move as a player is a fraught business which requires shrewd, cold-hearted calculation of your standing in the game. Some competition for a first-team spot is required but subjecting yourself to too much too soon is foolhardy. It is one thing to search for as high a standard of regular football as you can withstand, quite another to suddenly find yourself looking out of your depth. Finding an equilibrium has eluded many a highly rated young Scot, many of whom journey confidently to the Championship only for their reputation to suffer a fearful battering when they get there.

The former Aberdeen youngster Chris Maguire had little to be proud of in a year at Pride Park in which he made just two league starts for the club while Scott Robertson – a full Scotland internationalist – recently returned to Hibs after six months at Blackpool where he started just once. Another Campbell old boy in the form of David Goodwillie looks likely to be Russell's replacement at Tannadice after his move to Blackburn Rovers went wrong.

Campbell feels Russell is destined to avoid such a fate. Not only is the player blessed with a potent mix of footballing attributes, he has the kind of application and mindset which sets him apart from the crowd. The statistics of Russell's 2012-13 campaign may not have been so special but they were skewed by the fact he sustained an injury against Inverness at a time when he had rattled in six goals in five games.

"Christian Dailly went to Derby, went on to Blackburn and had a fantastic career and it wouldn't surprise me if Johnny did likewise because he is such a good athlete and such a good pro off the field," said Campbell. "I know Derby are a big club who have underachieved a bit recently, but he could go there and move on to a bigger club still. A lot of good Scottish talent has gone down to that division and failed is probably the right word – even boys from our own club – but Johnny is different and it is not just his ability, it is his mental toughness. I watched him doing a fitness test before that Dundee game when it turned out he had a broken leg – everyone else would have been in agony but he was almost declaring himself fit.

"He will go down there and set the heather on fire because he has got a bit of everything," said Campbell, who still has Russell's younger brother Mark. "He can finish right-footed, left-footed, and he has that added bonus which Goodwillie probably didn't have in that he is excellent in the air. He has the ability to hang in the air like Eric Black or David Speedie. Of course, going to a club like Celtic there would be incredible competition but there will be big competition at Derby also. They will sign two or three but Johnny revels in competition anyway."