Derby County can feel satisfied with their position in the Championship heading into the international break.
The Rams secured their fourth win of the Championship on Saturday and currently sit 12th in the table with a five-point buffer on the relegation zone.
During their impressive start following promotion, Paul Warne’s successful recruitment in the window has also come to fruition, with goalkeeper Jacob Widell Zetterstrom and midfielder Kenzo Goudmijn among the standout performers.
Zetterstrom, in particular, has helped Warne’s men keep four clean sheets at Pride Park while Goudmijn has contributed at the other end with two goals and a string of excellent displays.
The international break now provides the chance to reflect on Derby’s start to the season, so with that said, here is a look at the two highest-rated, and the two lowest-rated players in the Championship this season (90 minutes played or more).
Kayden Jackson and Curtis Nelson are the two highest-rated Derby County players
Many players have impressed in the famous black and white of Derby this term, including striker Kayden Jackson, who arrived on a free transfer from Ipswich Town in the summer.
Jackson has started in all but two of the Rams opening nine games while recording two goals and two assists.
The 30-year-old has proven to be a key attacking outlet down the right with his blistering pace and he surprisingly tops the Sofascore ratings with a score of 7.13, just ahead of Curtis Nelson and Nathaniel Mendez-Laing (7.12).
While Mendez-Laing has failed to replicate his form from last term, Nelson has arguably been one of the Rams’ most influential players at both ends.
Warne labelled Nelson an ‘unbelievable performer’ after he scored in the win over QPR and he fully deserves to be rated highly.
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James Collins and Tom Barkhuizen are the lowest-rated Derby County players
For all of the standout players for Derby, there have been multiple who have struggled for consistency and starts this term.
Academy graduate Liam Thompson is the lowest-rated player in the Rams squad, coming in at 6.45, but as he’s only played 57 minutes from the bench it’s unfair to assess him.
Perhaps unsurprisingly, James Collins is the next lowest with a score of 6.48, as the 33-year-old has struggled to step up to the Championship.
Starting in just one of his five appearances this term, Collins is yet to score after finding the net 19 times in all competitions last season, with Jerry Yates preferred to lead the line.
Tom Barkhuizen is another whose game time has been slashed this season, totalling just 112 minutes and averaging a rating of 6.58.
The Derby attacker has been injured recently and is set to return after the international break however, he’ll have to work extremely hard to break back into the starting XI.