Andreas Weimann hopes he has done enough to impress Gary Rowett and feature on a more regular basis for Derby County in 2017/18.
The 25-year-old forward, who joined Derby two years ago from Aston Villa, returned to the club in the summer after spending the second half of last season on loan at Wolverhampton Wanderers.
Weimann had made only one league start during 2016/17 before heading across the Midlands and made the switch in order to get more game time.
However, the appointment of Gary Rowett at Pride Park Stadium back in March, combined with his short-term stay at Molineux coming to an end, has provided the Austrian with a fresh start.
In the two years since joining the Rams he has made only 16 starts, but there’s a burning desire to prove his worth once more - starting in the season-opener at Sunderland on Friday night.
He told RamsTV: “I hope that I have impressed and forced myself into the thinking – but I guess we will know more on Friday when we know the team.
“I only met the manager at the start of pre-season so I’ve only had a short time working with him.
“I’ve tried to impress in the training sessions and the games that we have played as well.
“I think the pre-season went alright for me, I would’ve liked to have got a goal or two but it wasn’t to be.”
He added: “It has felt like a clean slate for me.
“I spoke to the manager at the start of pre-season and he told me to just show him what I can do. I have tried to do that and I am happy to be back.
“I want to make my mark here. I think going out on loan last season helped me as I got regular games, which I didn’t get earlier in the season, and it gave me a little bit more confidence in my own ability.
“Hopefully I can show that this year at Derby.”
Looking ahead to the start of the new campaign, Weimann is eager to get going again.
He has described the season-opener at the Stadium of Light as a difficult game – but one to look forward to against a side that was in the Premier League last season.
He said: “Everyone is excited because we had a tough period during pre-season to get ourselves ready for the season.
“The time has flown by really. I was thinking about it the other day and it has gone quick, although to be honest it hasn’t felt like that during some training sessions!
“The first game is here now and it’s definitely a big one for us to start the season.
“It’s also a big match for Sunderland; they were relegated last year and will want to get off to a good start in front of their fans. It will be hard but we’re looking forward to it.”
