Derby County have had a few standout players so far this season. But one man stands out above the rest.
There was a lot of expectation riding on Paul Warne and Derby County going into this season.
The Rams were widely tipped to challenge for the title after what looked like a decent summer transfer window, but things didn’t start so well.
Warne quickly came under pressure as Derby lingered just outside the play-off places, with many fans having called for change after the opening few weeks of the season.
But the Rams have now lost just once since October, winning six of their last seven in League One including a convincing 3-1 win over Lincoln City last time out to move up into 3rd.
Just one point separates Derby and 2nd place Peterborough United.
Warne has a horde of players to thank for this upturn in form, but a lot of thanks might go to Nathaniel Mendez-Laing.
What the stats say about Nathaniel Mendez-Laing
The 31-year-old seems to stepped up this season.
He was a key player last time round making 44 total league appearances, scoring seven and assisting eight more.
But so far this season, the attacker has made 21 League One outings, scoring five and assisting seven, with Warne describing his performances this time round as a ‘level above’.
As per Sofascore, Mendez-Laing averages 1.5 dribbles per match and wins 4.3 total duels, also averaging 44.1 touches of the ball and 18.3 accurate passes, with 61% of those coming in the opposition half.
Mendez-Laing also averages 4.3 recoveries per game.
The season ahead for Derby County and Mendez-Laing
Often with teams who come into form during the middle section of the season, there’s a dip in the second half of the campaign.
It’s almost inevitable and Warne will be expecting plenty of challenges ahead.
But with experienced players like Mendez-Laing, James Collin, Conor Hourihane and more in the side, Warne looks well-equipped to take on these challenges head first.
January will obviously be key; another striker to take the strain off Collins looks vital, and keeping hold of players like Max Bird and Eiran Cashin is also crucial.
And it’s also crucial that players like Mendez-Laing maintain their current form.
He’s arguably playing as good as he ever has, coming into his prime at 31 years old and looking poised to remind the Championship what he’s capable of.
If he can keep up this current form then Derby stand a great chance of promotion this season.