Rams midfielder Jacob Butterfield arrived from Huddersfield on deadline day in the summer 2015 transfer window for a reported £4 million.

It’s fair to say most Rams fans, including me, saw him as a tidy Championship player but questioned whether he was worth such a large sum of money.

Butterfield wasn’t an immediate fit into the side, in fact the then Derby manager Paul Clement said;

“Jacob has been good in spells but probably has lacked a little bit of consistency. The way he is and the way he plays, I think it is going to take him a little bit longer to settle fully. He is a ball player and when we are not playing that well with the ball, he is going to suffer as a result of that.”

But over time Butterfield has been excellent, for me he is the nearest the team has had to Will Hughes type player in his absence. The midfielder is very calm, neat on the ball, good going forward and a great striker of the ball, which brings me on to his goal record.

Jacob has managed 8 goals (including 1 for Huddersfield) at this stage from midfield which is an impressive return. The quality of the strikes is great to watch, including the one on Wednesday night (see video below).

His contribution this season has been very good and although he didn’t make an immediate impact, he has quietly become a key figure and must loom large if the Rams are to mount a serious push for promotion.

With Will Hughes now making good progress and joining full training in the next couple of weeks, a whole host of options should be available to Wassall in central midfield by seasons end.

Competition for a place in the starting eleven is huge and with the job in front of the Rams, that can only be a good thing.

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

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