He's a local boy making good - and his new resonsibilities will only fire his Premier League and England hopes.
'Mark Hughes's decision to give Derbyshire loan spells to give him match practice and competitive games proved a master stroke'
Matt Derbyshire is a revelation and already a star to the locals. Starting out in the little Lancashire Sunday League side Great Harwood Town, nobody would have guessed that a few years later the young lad would be playing for the England Under-21 side on a regular basis. Has he got what it takes to make it even bigger? Let's hope so!
Blackburn Rovers signed Derbyshire as a 17-year-old trainee back in 2003. Since then he has been loaned out for short spells at Plymouth in 2004 and, more successfully, to Wrexham in 2005-2006 where he managed to score 10 goals in 16 appearances for the Welsh club.
Blackburn manager Mark Hughes's decision to give Derbyshire loan spells to give him match practice and competitive games proved a master stroke. Since his move back to Blackburn, Derbyshire has fitted in well to Premier League life and although by no means the finished product, the young Blackburn lad is a hot prospect and an England star in the making.
The youngster still has an awful lot to learn about life at the top, but in the next few years, if he maintains his ambition and drive, he could become a proven goal scorer at this level. He needs to be patient and wait for his chance. Already this season he has proved his value to Rovers by scoring a number of important late goals when coming on as a substitute.
He should benefit from playing up front with more established players like Benni McCarthy, Jason Roberts and Roque Santa Cruz, and should keep the big stars on their toes. Derbyshire is proud to represent his home town and i'm sure has no ambitions to play for a different club other than his boyhood heroes - Ewood Park hopes so anyway!
Derbyshire recently became a proud father of twins and hopefully his new responsibilities will allow allow to be content with life on the bench while he waits for his turn at glory. Derbyshire wears his heart on his Blackburn sleeve and everyone in the town believes he is truly one of the Premier League's hottest new stars.
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