Former Derby County midfielder Omar Mascarell has managed to establish himself as a key performer for Bundesliga side Schalke, having managed to find a permanent home after spending a few seasons at on loan including his spell with the Rams.

Mascarell joined Derby on a season-long loan from Real Madrid in the summer of 2014, with Steve McClaren looking to bring in some extra midfield reinforcements, after George Thorne had picked up a knee ligament injury which ruled him out for around nine months – and having impressed with Real’s youth teams there was hope he would add some extra quality to the Rams’ squad.

The midfielder did not establish himself completely as a regular in Derby’s midfield during the 2014/15 season, as the Rams looked to go one better than the campaign before which saw them lose in the Championship play-off final to Queens Park Rangers, with the likes of Craig Bryson, Jeff Hendrick and Will Hughes McClaren’s preferred options in the middle of the park.

However, Mascarell did manage to make 23 appearances in the Championship for Derby, helping the Rams’ build attacks through the thirds with his calmness in possession, but he was ultimately unable to help the Rams rediscover their form as they won just two of their last 13 matches to drop out of the play-off places and finish in 8^th place.

Following the end of the 2014/15 season Mascarell returned to Real Madrid, and the midfielder was sent out on loan once again to La Liga side Sporting Gijon, who were looking to re-establish themselves back in the Spanish top flight following the club winning automatic promotion the year before.

Macarell managed to form a key part of Sporting Gijon’s midfield, making 28 appearances in all competitions as the Spanish club managed to maintain their place in La Liga finishing one place above the relegation zone, with the Spaniard helping to add some extra composure and quality to the middle of the pitch for Gijon.

The Spaniard was then signed on a permanent deal by Bundesliga side Eintracht Frankfurt from Real Madrid in the summer of 2016, and Mascarell went on to make 33 appearances in all competitions for the German club in his first season, helping Frankfurt secure an 11^th placed finish and reach the final of the DFB Pokal where they were narrowly beaten 2-1 by Borussia Dortmund.

The midfielder, though, endured a frustrating second season, following on from what was a promising first full term with Eintracht Frankfurt, with an achilles injury meaning he was only able to make 12 appearances during the 2017/18 campaign, as Frankfurt secured an 8^th place finish in the Bundesliga, but he did manage to play a crucial role from the start as the German club beat Bayern Munich 3-1 in the DFB Pokal final.

Real Madrid elected to activate a buy back clause in Mascarell’s contract in the summer of 2018 bringing him back to the club from Frankfurt, but Madrid then decided to sell the Spaniard to Schalke and he went on to make 19 appearances for the club last term, as they recovered from losing their first five Bundesliga matches to secure a 14^th place finish – and he has been a key figure so far this term making nine appearances so far.