Derby County star Nathaniel Mendez-Laing has been one of the success stories of the new era at the club, becoming a star since joining in 2022.
In a Rams shirt, the Guatemalan international has featured 114 times across all competitions, scoring 19 goals and assisting 32 along the way.
That impact helped Derby earn promotion from League One to the Championship, with the winger even earning a contract extension until 2026.
Since the step up to the second tier, Mendez-Laing has seen a slight position change as he was moved from the right flank to the left.
With it has come questions over his best position, one that he himself has now given a verdict on.
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Nathaniel Mendez-Laing on his best position
With one goal and three assists in his first 11 appearances back in the Championship, Mendez-Laing has discussed his best position.
Speaking to BBC Radio Derby, he said: “I’ve had a chat with the gaffer about this, I know when I’m on the right I’m probably more creative in terms of getting crosses in whereas when I’m on the left, I know defenders try to just show me onto the left side when I naturally want to cut inside and get shots off.
“There’s nothing wrong with mixing it up and I’m comfortable on either side so I don’t really mind.”
It throws in an interesting conundrum over where to play the winger to get the best out of him, or whether to use that versatility as an advantage rather than a hinderance.
With Kayden Jackson able to play on the right and Corey Blackett-Taylor on the left, there is the possibility of mixing and matching the sides Mendez-Laing plays on.
Nathaniel Mendez-Laing position stats
In the debate about Mendez-Laing’s position, there are some stats that can assess the impact he has on either side through his career.
Looking at Transfermarkt’s positional stats, that impact is as follows:
| Which side? | Appearances | Goals | Assists |
| Right | 197 | 37 | 38 |
| Left | 76 | 13 | 16 |
As shown above, Mendez-Laing has played far more on the right flank and is equally involved in goals and assists over his career.
On the right wing, the forward has bagged a goal involvement roughly every two-and-a-half games over his career.
Compare that to the left and the data shows up almost exactly the same with a goal involvement roughly every two-and-a-half games – though that is a much smaller sample size.
It suggests that, in reality, there may be very little difference between the sides he plays, even if he has to change his style ever so slightly.