With Derby County set to return to Sky Bet Championship action at Birmingham City on Saturday, Andre Wisdom has noticed some similarities between Gary Rowett’s side and the team that he originally joined on loan in 2013.
At this stage four years ago, the Rams sat in fourth place in the league under Steve McClaren, but this time around an impressive run of form sees Derby in the automatic promotion spots.
Wisdom, who signed on a permanent deal from Liverpool in the summer, believes that the atmosphere around the club resembles that of his previous spell as the team look to extend their seven-game unbeaten sequence in the league.
He told RamsTV: “When I was on loan here before, we were in a similar situation to where we are now, and we just came into work with smiles on our faces.
“We trained hard, we played hard and we knew what we were capable of.
“Hopefully we can enjoy it and just keep winning, it’s a good feeling so we hope that it can continue.”
Rowett has rotated his right-backs so far this season and Wisdom has seen his playing time shared with the experienced Chris Baird, with the former Northern Ireland international starting 10 of the last 11 games.
The 24-year-old came into the eleven to face Ipswich Town and then Manchester United on Friday, and he has made it clear that he will always be ready to fight for the team, regardless of the situation.
He said: “I’m easy and laid back so whether I’m playing, not playing, starting or coming off the bench, I’m all good and ready to go every day.
“My aims have always been the same since I started playing football, I just want to have fun, work hard and enjoy it.”
