Sheffield United must have Derby County transfer envy - it’s not Ben Brereton Diaz | OneFootball

Derby County have impressed greatly this season, and one key player has found form at the most perfect time - much to Sheffield United's envy.

After 32 games, Derby County find themselves in an incredibly strong position, with a 2-0 victory over Swansea City on Saturday afternoon seeing John Eustace's side climb into a play-off place in the Championship.

It's been just over a year since the 46-year-old arrived at Pride Park, and he has transformed the club in the space of just 12 months. After a 4-0 defeat to QPR on his first day in the job, the Rams have progressed at a rate of knots, going from a relegation-threatened team in 2024/25, to a promotion contender in 2025/26.

They have been helped in no part thanks to their attacking talent, with the East Midlands outfit having scored in their last 23 league games. The likes of Carlton Morris, Ben Brereton Diaz, Bobby Clark and Patrick Agyemang have been vital to their improvement this season.

However, there has been another crucial player who has found form at just the right time, and Derby have a star on their hands, much to the disappointment of Sheffield United, who never saw the best out of him.

Derby County will have Sheffield United feeling extremely jealous right now

In the summer, Rhian Brewster left the Blades after a five-year stint at Bramall Lane. He joined the Rams on a free transfer, with his time in S2 coming to an end after his contract expired, and after half a decade in South Yorkshire, there was a need for a fresh start for a player who had found it tough to find consistency in the final third while struggling profoundly with injuries, too.

He scored just nine goals in 119 appearances for Sheffield United, and this season, he has already found the back of the net on five separate occasions for a Derby team that has plenty of attacking stars and competition for places. His form in recent weeks has been sensational, and he has been vital to his new team's push for the play-offs.

Brewster has scored three goals in his last three games under Eustace, including the opening goal against Swansea at the weekend - another of his former clubs. His best performance in black-and-white came in a 5-0 victory over Bristol City at the start of February, for which he was awarded Sky Sports' Player of the Match award, and he is only getting better.

With a trip to Watford coming up this weekend, Derby will be hoping that their number 10 can continue this run of goals, and extend his best ever career run to four strikes in four consecutive games.

Rhian Brewster has managed to maintain his fitness at Derby County

Brewster has been involved in all but 10 games for the Rams in the Championship so far this season, and while he has had three separate injury issues, these have all been short-term problems that he has recovered from relatively quickly.

The former Liverpool prospect has started 11 of Derby's last 13 league matches, playing in a variety of positions across the front four for Eustace, and this versatility is something that Sheffield United will surely still be missing right now.

While Brewster was never the clinical forward that many expected him to be when he first joined the Blades, he did have an excellent rapport with those in the stands in S2, and he has managed to create this once again in the East Midlands and he has been an excellent free addition.

There is no denying that the 25-year-old must add even more goals to his game in the next few weeks, but he has had a fantastic start to life at Derby, and they will be the envy of Sheffield United right now.

The Blades are, of course, in no bad form themselves, and may fancy their own chances of a late rush towards the top-six under Chris Wilder after winning three of their last five outings.

But, with Derby already in a play-off position at this moment in time, helped by the ever-increasing brilliance of a player who was allowed to leave the Steel City for nothing to join a divisional rival, it's hard to see United not feeling a potential tinge of regret.