Derby County & John Eustace’s secret frustration? Blackburn Rovers' Cashin | OneFootball

Eiran Cashin has impressed since joining Blackburn Rovers on loan. The Rams are flying, but they would surely love to have the academy graduate home.

It's been over a year since John Eustace switched Ewood Park for Pride Park, and left Blackburn Rovers while they were battling for a play-off place to take charge of a Derby County side who had been left stricken towards the bottom of the table.

While it was a decision that many criticised at the time, he has been vindicated with his choice 12 months later as the Rams look towards promotion to the Premier League, while Rovers are fighting to avoid relegation to League One with their second manager since the 46-year-old departed.

Andreas Weimann, Danny Batth, Dion Sanderson and Lewis Travis all joined the East Midlands outfit after playing for Eustace in Lancashire during the summer, while Sammie Szmodics is the latest player to reunite with his former boss, having joined from Ipswich Town on loan on deadline day earlier in February.

There is not a lot that Derby will be envious of in regards to Blackburn right now. However, there is one player who those at Pride Park know all about who is impressing greatly right now in BB2, and there may be a little bit of jealousy currently going the other way.

Derby County may have slight Blackburn Rovers, Eiran Cashin envy

Eiran Cashin joined Rovers during the January transfer window after a really difficult first-half of the campaign on loan at Birmingham City. He made the switch from parent club Brighton & Hove Albion, and is showing why he was so loved during his time with the Rams.

After leaving Derby for the Seagulls for more than £9m last January, the centre-back has not had the easiest of times. However, he has found a new home at Ewood Park, and he has played his best football since leaving the club that he made his senior debut for.

Playing in a more unnatural left-back position, the 24-year-old has excelled and he has proven to himself that he has the quality to help pull Blackburn away from the relegation zone, with his performance against QPR once again excellent at the weekend.

Derby may feel a little jealousy at the fact that a Championship rival is experiencing the very best out of their former star right now, and he is showing the same levels that he once did in black-and-white. However, there are also questions to be asked as to whether Cashin would get himself into Eustace's team right now.

Eiran Cashin will be excited for his Pride Park return later this month

The defender has already faced his former side this season, playing at full-back in the Rams' 1-1 draw with Birmingham at St. Andrew's on Boxing Day. He will soon have his first opportunity of playing at Pride Park for another club, as Blackburn prepare for a trip to DE24 later in February.

The two sides go head-to-head in the East Midlands on 28 February in a 12:30 kick-off as Eustace looks to make it back-to-back-to-back victories over Rovers. He picked up his first win as Derby boss in this fixture last season, and will be looking to repeat that once again.

For Cashin, he will have the opportunity to say a proper farewell to a fanbase that still hold him in such high regard, and had Brighton not offered such a substantial fee, there was a strong chance that he would still be playing his football for the Rams.

Nevertheless, this is just another game for all those involved, and those in the stands will not be thinking about the 144 appearances that he made for Derby when the whistle blows in what will be an extremely fierce contest.