After a difficult start to life at Derby County, Ikechi Anya may be making his presence felt at last.
With the quality available within the Derby County squad, few expected that The Rams would be mired in eleventh in the Championship table with just over two months of the season to play, ten points adrift of the final play off place.
And while strike duo Matej Vydra and James Wilson were distinctly risky signings after enduring barren 2015/16 campaigns, albeit ones seemingly worth taking, the arrival of Ikechi Anya from Watford appeared a no-brainer.
The Scottish international may have just fallen short of Premier League quality but, in the second tier, the 28-year-old was a proven talent.
He’d spent three seasons with Watford honing his reputation as one of the league’s most dangerous widemen while his ability to flit between full-back and winger roles meant few were doubting his ability to make a positive impact at the iPro.
However, thanks to a series of injuries and inconsistent form, the Glenn Hoddle Academy graduate is only now starting to show glimpses of form in Derby colours.
Steve McClaren has entrusted Anya with starts in The Rams two most recent Championship games after terrorising Leicester in the FA Cup replay and producing only his second assist of the season off the bench in the 3-3 comeback against Bristol City.
McClaren brought Anya on after half an hour in a tactical switch with Derby toiling against The Robins and, after helping turn the game back in their favour, the 24-time international appears to have finally earned his place in the starting XI.
If he continues to improve, he may well stay there.
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