Steve McClaren returned as Derby County’s new manager last week, only 17 months after his departure from the club.

Although some thought it might happen, the general consensus was that Mel Morris wouldn’t dare bring back the man who left the fans feeling betrayed and cheated.

Many still blame him alone for the failure of that season, when the Rams sat top of the table in March and yet contrived to miss out on the play-offs altogether come the end of the season, but most fans have come to accept this week that McClaren holds the key in getting Derby back to those football playing days again.

So, this is the second time around for McClaren as manager, a bit of ‘unfinished business’ you might say.

The Rams have certainly got a healthier squad now in terms of strength in depth but, this time around, the current group of players are a broken team in desperate need of fixing.

Can he bring that exciting brand of football back that everyone enjoyed so much during his last tenure at the club?

Here are THREE players who could be vital to McClaren’s success this time around…

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.

Tom Ince

Where does one begin with Tom Ince?

A player who divides opinion more than any other at the club.

On his day, he’s a complete match winner, the kind of player that turns a game around. Few hold the raw talent to dribble past defenders with ease.

Unfortunately, those performances have been few and far between for the last two campaigns. And when he’s not on his game, he sometimes disappears altogether.

The small glimmer of hope for Ince is the fact that his best spell at the club came under McClaren last time.

If anyone can get the best out of him, then McClaren can, and many Rams fans will be hoping for a return to that kind of form.

When Ince is firing on all cylinders, the Rams will look a very different outfit going forward.

Matej Vydra

Every successful team has that twenty goal-a-season striker in their arsenal, and Derby’s best chance of achieving that surely comes from their record signing, Vydra.

The Czech Republic international, who was prolific at his former club Watford, has really impressed with his non-stop running and his willingness to get on the end of everything going forward.

Although he is not that big target man Derby fans have become accustomed to seeing upfront for the past few seasons, his skill on the ball makes him a nightmare for defenders.

There’s talk that he would actually benefit from a big man alongside him, but that’s unlikely to happen unless McClaren fancies trying to get Chris Martin back from his loan spell at Fulham in the New Year, if indeed that was even possible.