The Scottish midfielder was Derby County’s star man last season but his influence has diminished this campaign.
Craig Bryson was Derby’s second highest goal-scorer last season with 16 league goals, a tally which was only bettered by Chris Martin (22).
The Scotland international was a key figure in their run to the play-off final which ended in disappointment as they lost to QPR thanks to a last minute Bobby Zamora strike.
Bryson was almost ever-present, making 44 starts in the Championship and was linked with a move to the Premier League. However, he chose to stay with the Rams and sign a new deal which would keep him at the club until 2019.
The length of that contract shows just how crucial he had become to Derby’s plans to return to the top flight.
However, this season his influence at the club has diminished significantly. Although he has made 34 league appearances, only 21 of them have been starts as he lost his place in the team to Will Hughes and Jeff Hendrick.
He has failed to hit the heights of last season, scoring just three times from midfield and creating 40 chances on goal, a tally which includes three assists.
Contrast that to last year where he was Derby’s most creative player, setting up 81 attempts on goal for his teammates, including 13 assists.
It means that Bryson has to go down as Derby’s biggest disappointment in a season which appears to be tailing off after a run of six games without a win that means the Rams are in danger of missing out on the play-offs having been sat in the automatic promotion spots for the majority of the campaign.
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