It was a busy transfer window for Derby County back in the summer, with a number of senior players leaving the club, and plenty more coming in.

One of those who did make the move to Pride Park was Nathan Byrne, with the right-back joining on a two-year deal for an undisclosed fee from Wigan Athletic.

With Jayden Bogle having left the club to join Sheffield United, there will have been plenty of pressure on Byrne to fill that void on the right-hand side of the defence upon his arrival at the club.

So how has Byrne fared during his Derby career so far? What issues does he have to deal with and Pride Park? And what could be next for the 28-year-old in his career?

Here, we've taken a look in our latest hat-trick feature.

How's it gone so far?

In fairness, it does seem to have been a solid first half-a-season or so at Pride Park for Byrne.

The right-back has started 25 of the Rams' 28 league games so far this season seemingly establishing himself as his new side's first-choice right-back for the time being at least.

Indeed, having produced a string of impressive performances so far this season – his average performance rating for this season on WhoScored (6.83) is the sixth-highest in the Derby squad – it is perhaps no surprise to see him cement his place in the starting XI, suggesting he has settled in well at his new club.

What issues does he face?

Despite some promising showing for Byrne from an individual perspective, the threat of relegation does still hang over him and his teammates.

Although a run of four wins from their last five has helped to move the Rams out of the bottom three for now, they are still only three points clear of the relegation zone with 18 games left to play.

It is also worth noting that the financial uncertainty at Pride Park prompted by the delay to the long-awaited takeover of Derby will likely be an unwelcome issue for Byrne in particular, since he is no stranger to such off-field problems and the impact they can have on the pitch, given the situation he left behind at Wigan in the summer.

What's next?

With plenty of football still to be played this season, Byrne's main aim will no doubt be to help steer the Rams away from the relegation zone in the next few months.

Indeed, with the games set to come thick and fast over the next few weeks, it does seem as though Byrne is going to have to cope with a heavy schedule.

However, it is worth noting that with his contract at Derby set to expire at the end of next season, Byrne may not be too disappointed by that, since playing so many games could at least put him in a decent position to be in contention for a new deal sooner rather than later, either at Pride Park or elsewhere.