Derby County’s new £3.5m star registers dismal 16.7% stat on full international debut

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Derby County fans will be worried after one summer signing’s performance on international duty, but stats can be deceiving.

Derby County flirted with relegation last season, and in an attempt to rectify that feat, the Rams have made several signings this summer.

13 fresh faces were added for John Eustace to constitute over an £8m outlay throughout the window.

Unfortunately for Eustace, some of those signings have failed to make an instant impact at Pride Park, with Derby heading into the international break just one point above the drop zone.

If Derby are to improve on last term, then their second-most expensive signing of the summer window will need to better his recent outing in his full international debut.

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Derby County’s Max Johnston fails to impress on Scotland debut vs Belarus

After weeks of a bidding war with Sturm Graz, Derby’s third bid for Max Johnston was accepted, and the Scottish full-back moved to the Rams in a £3.5m deal.

Sheffield United and Watford were in for Johnston, but Eustace’s side won the race for his signature at their expense, and the 21-year-old is poised for his second start in a Rams shirt when Derby face West Brom this weekend.

Amid the international break, Johnston made his first start for Scotland during their 2-0 World Cup qualifier victory over Belarus.

Unfortunately for any on-looking Derby fans, the surface-level statistics do not bode well for the attacking-minded full-back.

Johnston was withdrawn after 74 minutes into his full international debut by Scotland boss Steve Clarke, with the full-back recording just a 16.7 percent cross accuracy throughout the match and failing to win any of his defensive duels.

However, stats can be deceiving, and further insight into Johnston’s displays goes some way to mitigating his lacklustre Scotland showing.

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Derby County expert offers Max Johnston Scotland insight

A Che Adams strike opened the scoring just before half-time for Scotland, and a Belarus own-goal 20 minutes into the second half gave the Scots a comfortable buffer, with the win leaving Clarke’s side second in Group C behind Denmark on goal difference.

Regarding Johnston, one Derby fan who observed his full debut for Scotland offered some interesting insight that goes in the £3.5m man’s favour.

Derby County expert Luke Thrower outlined: “Max Johnston’s debut came in strange circumstances, playing against Belarus in a stadium with no fans present.

“Overall, the defender looked confident on the Scotland right, driving forward plenty and whipping in lots of crosses.

“Not all of them were pinpoint, but a stat like crossing accuracy can be noisy as a team like Belarus pack out the box with defenders, making it tougher to land them all – this is much less likely to be the case in Derby games this season.

“His directness is the most promising thing to take from the game, as he was willing to cross at the first opportunity, both with his left and right foot.

“There are some small concerns, such as one error where he switched off to let a forward in behind for a shot at goal. However, it was a promising first start for the defender.”

Derby fans will be hoping Johnston can continue his “promising” form for the Rams at the Hawthorns on Saturday, which is set to be a difficult test for the Scotsman with West Brom star Isaac Price in fine form.