It’s been an odd past few games for George Thorne. He started off on the bench in the game against Huddersfield, later coming on as a sub, then was left out of the squad completely against QPR but most recently started the game at Rotherham.

After being left out at QPR it was said that he’d be involved in an under-21 fixture to rebuild match fitness. That quickly changed when manager Darren Wassall said that he’d be in the squad at Rotherham. It all seemed a bit odd but in fairness what hasn’t seemed odd lately!?

Thorne’s fitness has been something that has had to be managed all season long, with various niggles and the fact that he has never really managed a long run of games at any stage since arriving at DCFC without injury interruption.

So far he has played in 28 of the Rams’ 40 games (all competitions) this season but many were either cut short by injury or he was noticeably off the pace in comparison to his normal output. During the recent televised match at Wolves in particular, it was noticeable that Thorne lacked sharpness, gave away the ball and clearly wasn’t fully fit, it was far from his best game for the Rams and as much as anyone else he will know that.

In the crazy game at Rotherham the manager opted to start the midfield trio of Thorne, Bryson and Hendrick. It felt like 2014 all over again! That midfield, when all three are on top of their game, seems to have the right balance and it certainly has good understanding between the three players. But don’t forget Will Hughes — the return of an integral piece of the Rams puzzle is closing in on a return and would only complement that trio.

Overall Thorne hasn’t had a dazzling run in form this season but neither have many of his team mates, particularly during their recent dismal run, with former world beaters at this level like Chris Martin and Bradley Johnson looking out of their depth.

Although the ex-West Brom midfielder may seem to miss a lot of football this season, in comparison to years gone by, surprisingly Thorne has played the most games of his career in a single campaign.

You would hope that the experience of playing more matches can hopefully only do him and his fitness levels good, ultimately lead to sustained periods without any niggles. It’s definitely what George needs and it’s certainly what the Rams need as the team performs at a far higher level with him shielding the back four and helping play unfold in front.

When he signed on a permanent deal in summer 2014 there was a smaller squad and it was much easier to guess who would be starting, of course since then the squad has grown significantly, which has resulted in an unsettled starting side this season. When Thorne is fit and firing there is no one, even in this bloated squad, who comes close to displacing him (if you need reminding - see the video below!) .

If he can put a run of games together, I think we can expect to see much improved output from George for the remainder of this season.

There are some tough fixtures to come and it is integral to have him finely tuned and ready to roll, especially if the Rams are serious about climbing out of the hole they have dug for themselves.

For more of Nathan's articles you can read his blog at www.derbycountyfan.com and follow him via @ramscorner on Twitter.

Photo: Action Images

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