Ex-Derby County star who made 200+ Rams apps makes return to former club | OneFootball

Johnny Russell has returned to Dundee United, nearly 13 years after leaving the club for Derby County.

The 2013/14 Derby County team is arguably the club's best of the last 20 years, and supporters may still be wondering how they failed to win promotion to the Premier League as QPR left it until the final minute at Wembley to find that winning goal.

Under Steve McClaren, the Rams became one of the Championship's very best teams, and they challenged for automatic promotion until the final weeks of the campaign. However, they settled for the play-offs, breezing past Brighton & Hove Albion in the semi-finals with a 6-2 win on aggregate.

Nonetheless, they were beaten 1-0 by the R's in dramatic circumstances, denying the East Midlands outfit their chance of returning to the Premier League for the first time since 2008, and they have still not earned a place in the top flight since - despite making it to Wembley once again in 2019.

Although Derby were beaten, the team itself continues to live long in the memories of those who experienced that season, and now one of the key players from the starting XI has found a new club after spending a significant period in the MLS.

Former Derby County man finds new club after seven years in the MLS

Johnny Russell played a crucial part in that Rams side, and was also of huge value to the club in the following years as he spent five years at Pride Park before leaving for the USA in January 2018. He joined Sporting Kansas City, and he became a fan favourite with the Wizards.

However, he left in 2024, and joined Real Salt Lake for the 2025 campaign. After just a year in Salt Lake City, Russell has finally made his return to Europe, and in doing so, he has returned to the club that he made his professional debut for.

The 35-year-old has signed a short-term deal with Dundee United, and he will now have the opportunity to add to the 121 appearances that he has already made for the Tangerines as his new side look to avoid the threat of the relegation play-off in the Scottish Premiership.

United are currently sat in seventh on 30 points after 28 games, and they have a nine-point gap to Kilmarnock in ninth, while they are unlikely to make the top six split with Falkirk now 12 points ahead of Russell's new team.

Johnny Russell made quite the mark at Derby County

It's been eight years since the winger parted ways with Derby, but there is no denying the impact that he had on the East Midlands side, as he scored 34 goals and registered 34 assists in 203 appearances.

In the 2015/16 campaign, Russell scored nine times in the Championship, while also registering 10 assists to help the Rams to the play-offs. They were ultimately beaten by Hull City, and so ended his final real chance at winning promotion to the Premier League.

The Scotland international never quite hit the heights that he had done at the start of his Derby career in the final year-and-a-half that he had at Pride Park. Nonetheless, he had made a mark on the club and he had plenty of positive moments.

The peak of those perhaps came against Nottingham Forest in March 2014. Russell struck home the fourth goal of the Rams' 5-0 rout against their bitter rivals. It was an incredible strike from distance that Karl Darlow had no chance of stopping, and he will now be hoping to create new memories with Dundee United.