"It is probably time" - Derby County: Paul Warne urged to make Nathaniel Mendez-Laing call v Millwall | OneFootball

FLW's Rams fan pundit believes that Corey Blackett-Taylor should start over Nathaniel Mendez-Laing at Millwall on Saturday

This article is part of Football League World's 'Terrace Talk' series, which provides personal opinions from our FLW Fan Pundits regarding the latest breaking news, teams, players, managers, potential signings and more...

Paul Warne has been told to make one change to his starting eleven this weekend as Derby County travel to East London to face Millwall in a Championship clash, shifting Nathaniel Mendez-Laing out of the side for Corey Blackett-Taylor.

The Rams have exceeded expectations on their return to the second-tier so far, as they exit October's international break 12th in the table with 12 points from nine games, despite being largely tipped to struggle after promotion from League One.

Warne's side went through a rough patch of form in September, with three consecutive defeats against tough opposition in Sheffield United, Norwich City and Sunderland, but returned to winning ways before the international break with a 2-0 win over Queens Park Rangers at Pride Park, courtesy of two quickfire goals from Curtis Nelson and Marcus Harness.

The Rams' boss has used the joint-fifth-most players in the second-tier so far this term with 26 different players in his squad getting league minutes, and he made four changes to his side for the visit of the Hoops on October 5, but may well be tempted to keep his starting eleven pretty similar for the trip to The Den after that win.

Paul Warne told to make solitary change to his team against Millwall

Derby signed 12 players in the summer, either on permanent or loan deals, so it should come as no surprise that Warne has used the extent of his squad to find out which players are the right fit for his starting eleven so far.

Despite that, there are some players that he heavily relies on as the core of his main team, and EFL stalwart Nathaniel Mendez-Laing is one of those, with eight starts from a possible nine in the Championship to date.

The 32-year-old winger is into his third season as a Derby player now, and was a standout in League One as they won promotion last term, but has not quite replicated that form in the second-tier so far, and Rams fan pundit, Shaun Woodward, believes that he should drop out of the starting team at The Den to give Corey Blackett-Taylor a chance from the off.

“If (David) Ozoh was fit, he would come straight back in, for me. I don’t think he is going to be fit though, so the only change I would make would be Corey Blackett-Taylor coming in for Nathaniel Mendez-Laing," Shaun told FLW.

“I think Mendez-Laing has looked slightly off it this season. He set massively high standards for himself last season, and I don’t think he has quite reached those (this season).

“Also, travelling away for international duty, coming back probably jetlagged, I think it is probably time to give him a bit of a rest and give Corey Blackett-Taylor 90 minutes, or 75 (minutes) to see what he can do from the start.”

Blackett-Taylor needs a chance to prove himself this season

Left-winger Corey Blackett-Taylor's time at Derby so far has not been particularly successful on a personal level, despite playing his part in promotion last season, but he will feel he deserves a chance to prove his worth to Warne with a starting berth soon.

The 27-year-old was a standout for Charlton Athletic in the first half of last season, as he registered eight goals and six assists in 25 League One appearances to earn a £300,000 January loan-to-buy move to the promotion-chasing Rams, but he has been unable to transfer that form over to Pride Park, yet has shown glimpses of ability that could be vital to Warne in this long Championship campaign.

He started just five times for his new club in the third-tier as they finished second, and that has been a similar story so far this term, with just four substitute appearances to his name after an injury ruled him out of the first five league games of the season.

Blackett-Taylor made his return to action off the bench against Sheffield United last month, then bagged his first goal for the Rams a week later with a nicely-taken finish to reduce the deficit late on against Norwich City.

That means that the 27-year-old has outscored Mendez-Laing in the Championship this season, despite playing 572 minutes less, and so he may well be considered for a starting chance by Warne this weekend.