"This is going to be controversial" - Claim dropped on Derby County star Nathaniel Mendez-Laing | OneFootball

The winger has split hairs so far this season after impressing in his first two years at the club.

Nathaniel Mendez-Laing has been one of the first names on the team sheet at Derby County since he joined the club in the summer of 2022.

One of the first signings of the David Clowes era, the Guatemala international was influential during the Rams' two-year spell in League One, helping the team to promotion last season.

He scored nine goals and picked up 16 assists in 46 games in black-and-white, his best campaign in terms of goal contributions in his career so far, with his performances early in the year earning him a new contract at Pride Park - ensuring his future at the club until 2026.

However, 2024/25 has not quite lived up to his own expectations, and he has struggled with the step-up to the Championship with Derby. Nevertheless, with just under a third of the season gone, there is ample time for him to get back to his previous high standards.

Mendez-Laing has split opinion this season

The Rams started the new campaign in excellent form, winning their first three home games, but Mendez-Laing struggled to keep up with the likes of Kayden Jackson early on.

In recent weeks, the two have met in the middle in terms of performance levels, but neither will be happy with the impact they are currently having on the team, and the Rams' captain will be hoping to improve sooner rather than later.

Football League World has asked their Derby Fan Pundit, Shaun Woodward, which player divides opinion most at Pride Park at the moment, and which side of the fence he sits on.

He named Mendez-Laing, and told FLW why: "This is going to be controversial because he's been an amazing player at Derby, especially last season when he got promoted, but Nathaniel Mendez-Laing.

"I genuinely don't think he's good enough for the Championship now. He's a couple of years older, and he just doesn't look like he's got it to beat a man. His end product hasn't been great, he's only got one goal this season.

"I'm not saying he's not doing something in the training round and in the dressing room, he's obviously our leader for a reason. Paul Warne obviously believes he's a big influence in the dressing room and with the younger players, but I just don't see him having that influence like he did last season and especially not when he's on the wrong side."

Shaun continued: "So, for me, we need to put him on the right side and give him a fair crack at it. But at the moment I just don't think he's quite got it for the Championship, similar to most of our attacking wide players. I don't think any of them are really quite good enough for a decent Championship team, hence why they are probably at Derby.

"With Mendez-Laing, I know a lot of people love him, and rightly so, he's done some great things at Derby, but I just don't quite think he's got it anymore at Championship level.

"I hope he’ll prove me wrong."

Mendez-Laing would benefit from playing on the right again

While it may not seem a major difference, Mendez-Laing does seem to struggle on the left flank compared to when he is on the right, with his confidence to get to the byline and whip in a cross a huge part of his game.

When he is on the wrong side, he often tries to cut in on his stronger foot, something that has become predictable and has seen him lose the ball on too many occasions.

Throughout his time at Derby, he has mostly played on the right wing, and he had a huge amount of success. It is not just Shaun who wants to see the 32-year-old on that flank either, with Mendez-Laing himself seemingly preferring that side of the pitch.

He told BBC Radio Derby his thoughts on the situation: "I've had a chat with the gaffer about this. I know when I'm on the right I'm probably more creative in terms of getting crosses in, whereas when I'm on the left, I know defenders try to just show me onto the left side when naturally I want to cut inside and get shots off.

"There's nothing wrong with mixing it up, and I'm comfortable on either side so I don't really mind."

While positional issues may persist, Mendez-Laing must up his levels in the coming weeks as the Rams are lacking goals at the moment, and he must start finding the back of the net more regularly to help his team.