Close to two months since signing for Derby County, Patrick Agyemang made his first contribution to the English second-tier club.
Agyemang came off the bench for his debut on Saturday, assisting on Andreas Weimann’s winning goal in a 1-0 road triumph over West Bromwich Albion. The U.S. men’s national team forward battled back from summer hernia surgery to log 29 minutes in John Eustace’s squad on Saturday at the Hawthorns.
Agyemang’s physicality and 18-yard box awareness was certainly on display in the match. His flick-on headed pass to Weimann eventually led to the breakthrough goal, giving the Rams their first league victory in their fifth attempt this season.
In addition, he won three duels, drew two fouls, and made two defensive recoveries, dueling with the West Brom backline on numerous occasions in his cameo. After joining Derby County for a reported $8 million transfer fee, Agyemang finally got to show his new fans what he can bring to the squad, and both Eustace and Weimann were pleased to have him on the field.
“Our substitutions came on and made a difference,” Eustace said about Agyemang in a club interview. “Patrick came on for those 20+ minutes and was brilliant. It had been a tough 6-7 weeks for him.”
“For Patrick, signing from America and coming over here, it’s a big change for him, and then having surgery as well,” Weimann said about Agyemang in a postmatch club interview. “It was nice for him to come on for 30 minutes. He was a bit tired towards the end, but that’ll come. It was nice to see him on the pitch and, hopefully, there will be much more to come from him.”
Agyemang should see a larger role as the EFL Championship campaign pushes forward into the fall, especially with multiple midweek matches coming over the next few months. The Rams return to Pride Park on September 20 against Preston North End before facing Wrexham, Charlton Athletic, and Southampton ahead of the October international window.
A strong run of form and potential goal contributions could see the 24-year-old back in the USMNT fold after missing the September window due to his injury rehabilitation.