"Really do need him" - Derby County plea sent to player who "could be a big asset" to John Eustace | OneFootball

The former Ipswich Town man has found life at Pride Park difficult after a bright start.

This article is part of Football League World's 'Terrace Talk' series, which provides personal opinions from our FLW Fan Pundits regarding the latest breaking news, teams, players, managers, potential signings and more...

Derby County have completely turned their season round in the last week, and what had once looked like an unavoidable relegation to League One, has quickly turned into a true fight against the drop.

John Eustace has finally got a grip on the Championship with his Rams side, and after three straight losses in the league, his team have recovered to pick up nine points out of nine in the space of just seven days.

A 2-1 win over Blackburn Rovers at home was followed up by another excellent victory at Pride Park against high-flying Coventry City, with Matt Clarke and Marcuss Harness earning the East Midlands outfit a 2-0 victory.

Derby then picked up just their second away win of the season on Saturday as they left it late to beat Plymouth Argyle 3-2 at Home Park, and they head into the international break just a point behind Cardiff City and Stoke City.

Verdict made on player who must improve the most at Derby

Injuries have plagued the Rams this season, and they have not let up since Eustace arrived at the club just over a month ago, with Kemar Roofe and Lars-Jorgen Salvesen just two of those being struck down since he made the switch from Blackburn.

However, performance levels have increased from those that remain fit, and there has been a huge amount of effort to help instill belief that the team can stay in the Championship.

Nevertheless, Football League World has asked their Derby Fan Pundit, Shaun Woodward, which player he believes needs to show signs of improvement the most between now and the end of the season.

He told FLW: "Over the last three games, I think the starting XI have all come on leaps and bounds, so I don't think there's anyone in our current starting XI that needs to improve, because I think they all have.

"They’ve upped their work rates, their efforts, they seem to understand their roles within the team more right now. I think because there are so many injuries, the team is almost picking itself, which in some ways may be helping us.

"We haven't necessarily got the bigger names and the more attacking players to choose from, but the team has just slotted in place and although on paper it probably doesn't look as strong as it used to be, there's certainly more cohesion between the players.

"They are all fighting for each other, and they all seem to have upped their game, which is amazing."

Shaun continued: "The one player I'd probably say that still needs to improve is Kayden Jackson. I think he could be a difference when he comes off the bench because he's got pace. If he could just get some confidence in his game and really start to believe in himself, I think he could be a big asset to come off the bench.

"He needs to help out the tired legs up top because Marcus Harness and Jerry Yates can't do it all. He had a really good chance against Plymouth in the last minute to seal the game.

"I just think he needs to believe in himself and hopefully John Eustace can spend the next two weeks during the international break to get an arm round him and push him forward, because we really do need him in these last eight games."

Jackson is severely lacking confidence

Jackson looks a shadow of the player that he started the season as, and his attacking intent has dropped off greatly since then.

However, his former Ipswich Town teammate, Harness, has proven that he can still turn his campaign around and make a difference in the final eight matches of 2024/25.

Pace will be needed, and fresh legs in the final moments of games could prove to be the difference between Derby staying in the Championship and going down. Therefore, Jackson has to show that he is a credible option off the bench for Eustace.

With a year left on his contract, he is not quite fighting for a new deal, but currently he is not showing why he should be kept on in the summer and a replacement could be sought if he does not find form in the final two months of the season.