Andi Weimann sends message to Derby County as Rapid Vienna move confirmed | OneFootball

The 34-year-old has left the Rams just seven months after rejoining on a one-year deal

Andreas Weimann has sent a message to Derby County after sealing a loan move to Rapid Vienna.

The 34-year-old has returned to his boyhood club just seven months after rejoining the Rams on a one-year deal, which technically all but brings his second spell at Pride Park to an end.

Having found regular starts hard to come by under John Eustace - five out of 25 league appearances to be exact - it's perhaps not a surprise that Derby eventually U-turned their original decision to let Andi leave.

Especially since his exit follows the East Midlands outfit's deadline-day loan deal for fellow attacker Sammie Szmodics, who admitted that him and Andi played in the same position when at Blackburn Rovers together.

Andi Weimann sends Derby County message as Rapid Vienna loan confirmed

Given the fact that Weimann is now in his mid‑thirties and facing what is realistically his last chance to appear at another World Cup, it is understandable that he has opted to leave for game time - even if it cuts short a not so romantic Derby return.

The winning goal away at West Brom was the last glimpse Rams fans will have of the sharp finishing that made Weimann a proven Championship player over the past decade. It's just that he never really showed it consistently at the club.

After the deal was confirmed, the Austrian took to Instagram stories to send a message to Derby and their fans. Weimann wrote, "Good luck for the rest of the season Rams 🐏🖤🤍."

Seeing as though Eustace's side sit two points outside the playoffs in seventh, some luck will definitely be needed if the club try and aim to finish in the top six!

Andi Weimann never 'proved his point' at Derby County

When he rejoined the club after seven years this past summer, Weimann revealed to RamsTV how he had a point to prove after a somewhat disappointing first spell in Derbyshire.

The Austrian said upon coming back, "I had some good times, definitely, and I enjoyed my time here. Obviously, there were some disappointments because we lost in the play-offs twice, so maybe I've got a little bit to point to prove here."

Across 88 appearances in all competitions when first joining Derby, the forward scored nine goals from primarily wide positions, but it is worth noting he had a temporary spell at Wolves in the middle of it all. This comment on social media seems to sum up the players time at the club.

While he's gave a good account of himself elsewhere - at the likes of Blackburn and Bristol City - it never clicked for Weimann at Derby.

Weimann did claim in that aforementioned RamsTV interview how his first years at the club didn't go too well because he was playing out of position, but, ultimately, he didn't impress a great deal in the cameos from this season.