3 players Steve McClaren needs to succeed at Derby County

Bradley Johnson

At the start of this season, Johnson’s name would’ve been at the bottom of most people’s list.

He was a player appearing to be low on confidence from the middle of last season, but the last few games have given hope to everyone that there’s still a decent player in there somewhere.

The former Norwich City man could be so important for the rest of the 2016/17 campaign, although probably not in his current position, which is only a temporary gig until George Thorne’s return from injury.

If Craig Bryson and Will Hughes are playing at the top of their games, then it might be difficult for Johnson to get a starting place, but we all saw glimpses of Johnson’s quality when he first joined Derby last season, and he is a quality player who could be an important part of this campaign under McClaren.