Everton icon had memorable Derby County impact 20 years ago | OneFootball

Leon Osman joined the Rams on loan in January 2004, and played a huge part in keeping the Rams in the First Division.

The first half of the 2003/04 season was tumultuous for Derby County and a string of poor results saw them battling against relegation in the First Division.

The Rams had only been relegated from the Premier League in 2002 and they had failed to push themselves back towards promotion contention in their first year back in the second tier, finishing 18th.

A lack of true improvement in the summer transfer window saw George Burley's side struggle once again, and by the time January came around, they were flirting with the drop zone, sitting 21st.

However, the loan signing of the young Everton talent, Leon Osman, proved to be a drastic turning point for Derby. Now retired, the midfielder had spent time on loan at Carlisle United in the fourth tier before moving to Pride Park, a move that perhaps raised some eyebrows at the time.

Osman was crucial to Derby's survival

After having a relatively mediocre spell in Cumbria the season before, it was not quite known just how well the then 22-year-old was going to perform in a Rams shirt due to his lack of experience at the level, but he quickly started to show fans what they were missing.

Osman had only joined the club for a month, but his deal was extended multiple times to allow him to nearly see out the entire season, much to the delight of Burley.

The Everton legend scored twice in his first five appearances for Derby, earning his new team three points with those strikes, with his ability to keep the ball so tight to his feet a joy to watch for supporters.

Few loan players have ever had an impact on a Rams team quite like Osman, and he seemed to lift the performances of his teammates, and results in the second half of the campaign got better and more consistent.

However, those around them were matching their results, and getting away from the drop zone was proving to be a tough feat.

Osman had played every minute after joining at the end of January, and he scored yet another vital goal to give his side the lead against fellow relegation candidates Bradford City. The East Midlands club ran out 3-2 winners on that day in April, before they cruised past Preston North End just five days later in a 5-1 victory.

Defeat to Burnley meant that the Rams' future was not guaranteed with two games to go, and with supporters hopeful that their loanee could help in the final push, he was recalled by Everton.

Derby survived despite Osman's departure

Derby confirmed their survival against Millwall, thanks to goals from Adam Bolder and Marco Reich in a 2-0 win at Pride Park - but they perhaps knew that if Osman had joined in the summer, they would not have even had any relegation fears.

The midfielder scored on his return to his parent club, as the Toffees were beaten 2-1 by Wolverhampton Wanderers. However, it was clear that his place was back in the Premier League with David Moyes.

He played every minute of Everton's last three games of the season, as they also narrowly avoided relegation, but it was the start of a fantastic career at Goodison Park – one that would see him rack up more than 400 appearances.

Derby tried their best to bring Osman back for the 2004/05 Championship season, with Burley sending a £400,000 bid to the Premier League side, as per the Burton Mail. But, it was rejected and the incredible loanee never donned the black-and-white of the Rams again.

Nevertheless, over 20 years later, his impact at the club can not be understated, and he is still brought up in conversations of the greatest loan players to have played in DE24.