Where did it all go wrong for Jack Marriott at Derby County?
Get the latest Hull City news straight to your inbox with our daily Tigers newsletter Invalid Email Something went wrong, please try again later. Subscribe Thank you for subscribing We have more newsletters Show me See our privacy notice  Jack Marriott is heading for the exit door at Derby County after three years with the club. Hull City are in talks with the striker about reuniting him with Grant McCann, his old boss at Peterborough United where Marriott made his name, with the player out of contract at the end of the month. The striker was signed by Derby on the back of a 33-goal season at London Road under McCann in 2018, and fans hailed the arrival of a player who promised so much. Having seen players signed for big-money and leave Derby for very little or nothing during Mel Morris' reign as owner, Marriott's arrival heralded a shift in strategy: buy up-and-coming players with upside and re-sale value. If Marriott scored a hatful of goals for the club he would fetch big money if he was made available for transfer. Our Hull City newsletter is the perfect place to get all your latest Tigers news, brought to you first. There will be breaking news newsletters, specials from our correspondent Barry Cooper and a newsletter every single weekday with the big stories of the day. Simply type your email address into the box at the top of this article or any article on the Hull City section of Hull Live, or by clicking here. And that's it, you're all set. You can unsubscribe at any time and your data will not be shared with any other party. Ollie Watkins at Brentford, Che Adams for Birmingham City, Britt Assombalonga down the A52 are all examples of clubs buying cheap, relatively speaking, players and developing them while making a tidy profit. That was the plan for Marriott, but to say it did not work out is putting it lightly. The pressure was off the 26 year-old when Frank Lampard brought him into the club because of the arrivals of Harry Wilson, Mason Mount and Martyn Waghorn. Marriott would be allowed to get himself up to speed and adjust to life at Pride Park before making his mark. He scored a very good 13 goals in all competitions in 2018/19 and chipped in with five assists. The only games Derby lost when he contributed to goals that season came in a Carabao Cup tie at Chelsea and the Championship play-off final with Aston Villa. (Image: Mick Walker - CameraSport via Getty Images)  Rams fans can be forgiven for wondering, still, why Marriott was left on the substitute's bench for the game at Wembley after his heroics in the semi-final victory at Leeds United. It's a question that still crops up in debates between Rams fans, such was the magnitude of the call from Lampard - and Marriott's struggles begin at the final whistle at the national stadium. Like many players in Derby's current squad, Marriott found himself managed by the latest coach in the Pride Park hotseat a season after he arrived at Pride Park: Phillip Cocu. Cocu spelled out his plan for Derby: 4-3-3 with a big striker at the focal point of his attack. This was not Marriott and alarm bells rang straight away and his thigh injury in Cocu's pre-season hindered any chance for the player to make his mark. Marriott showed what he could bring to Derby's team when he curled in a superb effort, a goal of the season contender, against Bristol City four games into the season but he would not score again until Barnsley the day after New Year's Day. That game was Wayne Rooney's first with Cocu's replacement teeing up Marriott, who celebrated by wiping sweat off his brow having missed a couple of good chances earlier on. (Image: Mark Thompson/Getty Images)  He was in and out of the squad again and missed Derby's push for the play-offs with a groin injury, coming back for the final three games of 2019/20 after lockdown. Chris Martin, who was superb in his final season for Derby before leaving last summer, was Cocu's man up front and his departure highlighted the need for a target man. Quite why Marriott was given that role for a Carabao Cup game against Barrow A.F.C. to open last season remains a mystery - it was painful watching the player running around with no service whatsoever. Likewise Reading the game after, when Derby were easily beaten 2-0. Marriott made his last start for Derby two games later, hooked at half-time with Blackburn Rovers winning 3-0 after an embarrassing three-minute spell put Tony Mowbray's side in complete control at Pride Park. With Derby struggling for goals last season - netting a division-low 36 goals in 46 games - Rooney decided not to recall Marriott in January from his loan at Sheffield Wednesday. There was a clause in the deal for him to come back, but instead Lee Gregory came in and was superb before injury ended his time in DE24. Now Marriott finds himself looking to link up with McCann at Hull City following their promotion from League One. At 26 Marriott has plenty of time on his side and can still prove he is a Championship player and a great striker. For Derby, it is another example of a player who arrived with promise and at a cost leaving with little impact at the club and for free. Four separate coaching setups and a devastating Wembley blow, along with injury troubles, made it difficult for Marriott to settle at the club. Speaking during lockdown last year, Marriott said that he had felt the effects of his injuries mentally too. "That was the biggest difficulty - I am reading all these tweets and people are saying 'injured, injured, injured, X, Y and Z' - people are making perceptions of you as a character and you as a person when you're working so hard to try and get back on the pitch," he said in July. Marriott needs someone who can revitalise him after three tough years in the East Midlands.