Derby County have confirmed that midfielder Kieran Dowell has returned to his parent club Everton, after his loan spell at Pride Park was cut short after a mutual agreement between two clubs.

It has also been confirmed that the 22-year-old will now spend the second half of the season on loan at Wigan Athletic.

Dowell became Phillip Cocu's first signing as Derby manager when he joined the Rams on a season-long loan deal from Everton back in July, but it's fair to say that things haven't worked out for him since he made the switch to Pride Park.

The Englishman made ten Championship appearances for Derby, but he struggled to make an impact and has only featured just four times for the club since the end of August.

His last outing for the Rams came as a substitute during the 1-0 home defeat to Millwall last month and he will now spend the rest of the season at Wigan, where he will be hoping to experience regular first team football.

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The Verdict

Dowell is a good player and he arrived at Derby with a good amount of experience in the Championship, having spent time on loan at Nottingham Forest and Sheffield United in the past.

However, it's fair to say that things haven't worked out for the midfielder since he made the switch to Derby and it was probably a sensible decision for the club to bring an end to his loan spell.

After struggling for first-team football at Derby during the first half of the season, Dowell will be determined to make an impact at Wigan, in order to give himself the best possible chance of making at it Everton.

Thoughts? Let us know in the comments below.