Ross McCormack shows his creative side in Aston Villa's draw with Derby County

The 30-year-old striker failed to find the back of the net in Saturday’s goalless draw at the iPro Stadium, but he still managed to show how crucial he will be to Roberto Di Matteo’s side this season.

Aston Villa's Ross McCormack in action with Derby's Cyrus Christie

Ross McCormack may have only found the back of the net once in his first five appearances for Aston Villa, but the 30-year-old Scottish striker has certainly been offering plenty of creativity in the meantime.

Saturday’s 0-0 draw at Derby County saw the £12 million summer signing from Fulham record more key passes than any other player in the Championship over the weekend with seven, along with serving up a match-leading nine crosses during the 90 minutes.

Vs Derby	Position	Team	Total Shots	Ontarget Shots	Key Passes	Total Passes	Passing Accuracy	Total Crosses	Accurate Crosses	Touches	Disposssed	Mins Played
Ross McCormack	FW	Aston Villa	1	1	7	23	83%	9	3	40	2	90

He also came to close to scoring in the first half with a fierce 25-yard strike that rattled the crossbar and managed to complete 19 of his 23 passes – two of which were long balls.

Ross McCormack of Aston Villa hits the crossbar with a shot on goal

The former Leeds United forward’s outstanding scoring record in the Championship was clearly the primary reason why he was brought to Villa Park earlier this month, but he has continued to prove over recent seasons that he can offer much more than just goals – even in a struggling side.

As well as netting 21 times in 45 games for 20^th-placed Fulham last term, the prolific front man ranked second behind only Reading midfielder Oliver Norwood in key passes with 100, while also recording the joint-third most assists in the division with nine after notching the same amount over the prior season.

He has certainly been showing that side to his game since arriving at Villa, playing in a withdrawn role behind Rudy Gestede that allows him the freedom to roam around the final third, and the chemistry he is quickly developing with the towering front man, Jordan Ayew and Jack Grealish will hopefully only improve over the course of the campaign.

Needless to say, Roberto Di Matteo’s front four have plenty of goals in them and, once they all start clicking together, the wins should soon start piling up.

Ross McCormack celebrates with team mates after he scores Aston Villa's first goal