3/1 To Win
Midfielder Krystian Bielik is delighted to be back playing in a Derby County shirt following a long injury lay-off and is thriving alongside a team-mate he knows very well.
The Polish international suffered a serious knee injury back in January of this year in an Under-23s fixture against Tottenham Hotspur and spent the last 10 months going through his rehabilitation programme.
He made his return to action for the Under-23s in October in a victory over Southampton and soon after, he returned to the first team for the home fixture against Barnsley.
After a spell out of the squad to manage his workload following a lengthy period out of action, the midfielder returned to the starting squad against Coventry City earlier this month.
Since then, he has excelled in the side and earned plaudits for his impressive displays as the Rams have remained unbeaten in the last five games.
That has included one win and four draws, whilst the Rams have also recorded three consecutive clean sheets and Bielik is delighted to be playing his part.
“I think there were good games and good moments last season for me,” he told RamsTV.
“There was the red card before my injury, there were a few not so great games but still I was happy with my performance.
“Then the injury killed everything. I was feeling like I was warming up and then the suspension for three games and the injury ended my season.
“I am happy I am back, I am happy I am playing and I am happy I’m getting the important minutes under my belt.
“I just want to help the team and help myself build up for this season and the upcoming European Championships in the summer.”
And he has been joined in the first team by his Poland team-mate Kamil Jozwiak, who joined the club from Lech Poznan in September.
The Rams’ winger has settled into well to life at Pride Park Stadium and Bielik is pleased to be playing alongside one of his friends.
“It feels great to be with him on the pitch,” he said. “I was excited when he signed with us. We played a few games together in the national teams, especially in the Under-21s, Under-19s and Under-18s, so we know each other.
“I feel in these past few games you could see a bit more in a few moments that we have that quite good connection.
“We are still warming up and I am only just back after injury really so he’s getting to know about Championship level; people tackling him, people smashing him and elbows to the head.
“Obviously the Polish league is similar. It’s probably not that physical, so I think he enjoys this time and I enjoy being with him on the pitch.
“I think we can give a lot to this club, we can add a lot of good things together.”
