Derby County administration gem must surely regret Crystal Palace move - he was incredible under Wayne Rooney | OneFootball

Malcolm Ebiowei shone in the 2021/22 campaign for the Rams, but his move to the Eagles was ill-fated.

The 2021/22 campaign is still the toughest year in Derby County's long history, and the memories of that season will never leave the supporters, players and staff that were involved with the club at that time.

The Rams were handed a 12-point deduction in September 2021 after entering administration, before they had a further nine points taken off them just two months later for historical financial breaches under former owner Mel Morris.

Wayne Rooney had the near-impossible task of keeping the team in the Championship and, despite the fact they were effectively 21 points behind the rest of the division, the East Midlands outfit started to fight back.

Derby were not able to utilise the summer transfer window in the same way as other clubs, and they instead relied on loans and free agents to bolter their squad as they went into battle with a mix of stars, both young and old, and it was the performances of one of their younger talents that truly captured the eye.

Malcolm Ebiowei was excellent for Derby during 2021/22

Malcolm Ebiowei made the switch to Pride Park from Scottish giants Rangers in September 2021, and he started life in the Rams' U18s team.

However, with Rooney lacking numbers in his senior squad, the winger was promoted up the ranks and made his debut in the Championship in February 2022 in a 3-1 win at home to Hull City - coming off the bench in the final minute.

While he was not quite able to demonstrate his true ability in his first appearance for Derby, he was soon given the chance to prove himself, and he was given the opportunity to play more and more football.

In just his sixth game, Ebiowei made his full debut as the Rams eased past Barnsley in a 2-0 win at Pride Park.

It was a moment that the then-18-year-old never looked back on, and he was a constant part of Rooney's plans as he started in every single one of his team's final games of the season.

Derby continued to fight against the drop, and progression on the pitch continued. However, a poor run of form on their travels was stopping them from making true inroads on those outside of the bottom three.

Nevertheless, Ebiowei continued to impress, and he picked up his first assist after the Rams' relegation to League One had been confirmed in a 2-1 defeat at home to Bristol City.

He followed it up with another assist and his first professional goal a week later away at Blackpool as Derby supporters partied in a 2-0 win, despite the knowledge that their team were on their way down to the third tier.

Ebiowei has found life difficult at Crystal Palace since leaving Derby

It was clear to see that Ebiowei's future was bright, and he left the Rams in the summer of 2022 for Premier League side Crystal Palace.

He played three times in the top flight during his first season for the Eagles before being sent out on loan to Hull back in the Championship, but he struggled to make a true impression at the MKM Stadium in his short time at the club.

The 21-year-old has since been out on loan to Belgian side RWD Molenbeek and Oxford United, but once again he found it difficult to prove his quality on the pitch, making a handful of appearances for both teams.

Life after Derby has not panned out the way that many expected for Ebiowei, and to this day, Rooney has been the only manager who has been able to get the very best out of him, and he may have regrets about his decision to leave the Rams just under three years ago.