Derby's 20-year-old midfield wonderkid, Will Hughes, has publicly stated he hopes to continue his rapid improvement with the Championship side following a sweep of Player of the Year awards after another impressive campaign.
The young Englishman was named the Club Player of the Year, as well as the Players' Player of the Year - having already picked up the Supporters' Clubs' and Fans' Player of the Year accolades. He has said he is delighted to have won the awards, but admits he is disappointed that the Rams were unable to progress to the play-off's, with the eventual winner from the four teams being promoted into the riches of the Premier League.
They managed to somehow drop from top of the pile in the Championship to finishing in eighth position, in just two months' time, missing out on a play-off place on the final day of the season courtesy of another disappointing result, a 3-0 defeat at the hands of FA Cup semi-finalists Reading. Hughes remained humble after his award sweep, saying: "The bigger picture is, we haven't ended up where we expected and where we wanted to be and that is in the Premier League. That aside, I am honoured to win the awards and especially the one that means most to me, the players' player award. I work day in, day out with the boys and on Saturdays, so the award means a lot to me. Consistency has been the big thing for me this season; last season I was having a couple of good games and then an average one but this season I think I have been a lot more consistent.
But I still haven't got to the level I expect of myself and, hopefully, that will come with age. I am 20 now and, in football terms, that is quite young. I hope to push on next season."