Four years after leaving, Jason Shackell has returned to become Derby County's seventh signing of the summer, we take a look back at the career of the highly-sought after defender...
Four years after leaving, Jason Shackell has returned to become Derby County's seventh signing of the summer, we take a look back at the career of the highly-sought after defender...
FACT FILE:Born in Stevenage, Jason Shackell’s football career began in East Anglia after he joined Norwich City’ Academy at the age of 17 in 2000.A robust defender, he worked his way through the youth system to make his senior debut at left back in April 2003 – ironically against Derby County – which the Rams won 2-1.It did not take long for Shackell to cement the position at the heart of the defence as is own as he helped the Canaries achieve promotion to the Premier League the following season in 2004.After missing the first few months of their season in the top flight, Shackell returned in a 3-2 defeat to Manchester City.His impressive display against the Blues saw keep his spot for the remainder of the campaign, though he could not prevent Norwich from being relegated at the end of the campaign.Frustrations in 2005/06 eventually led to the defender becoming a near ever-present for the Canaries in 2006/07 as he went on to be appointed as the Club Captain at the beginning of the 2007/08 season and ended up clocking over 150 appearances for the Carrow Road outfit.A move to Wolves followed in the summer of 2008, where he helped lay the foundations for another promotion tilt before re-joining Norwich on loan in February 2009.Shackell found himself in the unusual situation come the end of the campaign where he was unable to help the Canaries stave off relegation to League 1, but also had played enough to be awarded a winners’ medal after Wolves were promoted to the top flight.In a bid to keep playing first team football, Shackell, again, completed another loan spell as he spent the entirety of the 2009/10 campaign on loan at Doncaster Rovers where he made 21 appearances.His impressive displays at the back earned him his next permanent move in the summer of 2010 when he completed a switch to Barnsley – where he went on to reinforce himself as one of the Championship’s best defenders.His one spell at Oakwell saw Shackell become a near ever-present again as he tallied more than 40 outings as the club’s Captain and went on to be named Player of the Year.His first spell with Derby County soon followed as he sealed a move to the East Midlands in June 2011.A fine season at the iPro Stadium began with a goal on his league debut with a header in a 2-1 win over Birmingham City.Shackell went on to play in every game of the 2011/12 season for the Rams - wearing the Captain's armband on several occasions - and was runner-up in the Player of the Year awards at the club’s end of season dinner.The defender was on the move again a year after signing with Derby as he linked up with Burnley at the beginning of the 2012/13 campaign.With the know-how of over 250 league games, Shackell was named Club Captain a month later and, as he had done at his previous two clubs, established himself as a rock in their backline.Again, an a near ever-present in his first season, before he helped guide the Clarets back to the Barclays Premier League at the end of the 2013/14 campaign – ahead of Derby who finished third – and did not miss a single minute of the action, with his performances earning him a place in the PFA Team of the Year.In his final season at Turf Moor, Shackell again captained the side and featured in every game in the top flight but was unable to prevent Sean Dyche’s side from a return to the Sky Bet Championship at the end of the season.
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