Ten years after he christened the new Wembley with a goal for England Under 21s, former Blackburn Rovers prodigy Matt Derbyshire is enjoying an unexpected revival as the most prolific English striker anywhere in Europe this season.

Unwanted by new Rotherham United manager Alan Stubbs last summer, 30-year-old Derbyshire took the bold step of uprooting his family nearly 3,000 miles to play for Omonia Nicosia in Cyprus.

So far it's proved an enlightened decision with his 21 goals this season - 18 in the league, one in the cup and two in the Europa League - surpassing Harry Kane and Jermain Defoe with the likes of Jamie Vardy, Daniel Sturridge and Wayne Rooney lagging even further behind.

Matt Derbyshire has reignited his stagnating career in Cyprus, playing for Omonia Nicosia

Derbyshire is England Under 21s' forgotten man, but now he is leading the line in Cyprus

At Rotherham, he was cast aside by Alan Stubbs and decided to move his family 3000 miles

'The stats say I am in the best form of my life,' says Derbyshire, who is quick to acknowledge the part played by his manager, ex-Newcastle United boss John Carver.

'John has made me the main man and given me the confidence every goalscorer needs. He knows my idol was Alan Shearer and takes every chance he has to mention him in training, having worked with him as Sir Bobby Robson's coach.

'I take it all on board. John is a great man-manager which is drifting out the game. He knows when to put an arm around your shoulder and when to push. I need that as a player and I'm sure thousands of other footballers feel the same.

'I loved playing in England but when Omonia came in I jumped at the chance. I'd played in Greece before and knew the lifestyle would be great. And the standard of football is better than people think as well. It's given me a new lease of life.'

He has 14 appearances for England Under 21s, even scoring in the first game back at Wembley

Derbyshire did well at Blackburn, but Sam Allardyce's arrival pushed him to fifth-choice striker

DERBYSHIRE'S CAREER 2002-2003: Great Harwood Town 2003-2009: Blackburn Rovers ---> 2004-2005: Plymouth (loan) ---> 2005-2006: Wrexham (loan) ---> 2009: Olympiacos (loan) 2009-2011: Olympiacos ---> 2010-2011: Birmingham (loan) 2011-2014: Nottingham Forest ---> 2012: Oldham (loan) ---> 2013: Blackpool (loan) 2014-2016: Rotherham 2016-present: Omonia Nicosia Advertisement

It would be easy to be sniffy about Cypriot football but league leaders Apoel have just won their Europa League group to face a last-32 tie with Athletic Bilbao. Omonia's big signing in the January transfer window was Kari Arnason, part of the Iceland team who beat England at Euro 2016.

'It's very competitive. I played in all the leagues in England, on our day we could give anyone a game,' says Derbyshire.

'It's a more technical league than the Championship which is more like basketball, non-stop back and forth. The tempo is slower here. We'd find it hard in the Championship if we played their style, but likewise if Championship teams came to Cyprus and tried to outpass us, they wouldn't get near.'

Derbyshire was tipped for big things when he burst onto the scene as a teenager at Blackburn under Mark Hughes. He twice scored against Manchester United at Old Trafford but things turned sour once Sam Allardyce arrived to replace Paul Ince.

A huge 3,000 miles from England, Derbyshire has already scored 17 league goals this term

Derbyshire even scored twice against Sir Alex Ferguson's Manchester United while at Rovers

The 30-year-old spent time on loan at Olympiacos previously so is used to the lifestyle

'We all know Big Sam and I won't take anything away from him but I went from playing every week to being fifth-choice striker,' he recalls.

'He said I had to fight for my place but I knew and we all know what centre-forwards he likes, the one big man up front.'

By then, Derbyshire had won 14 England Under 21 caps including the first competitive game at the new Wembley, a 3-3 draw in which he scored.

'I've kept everything: the shirt, boots, programme,' he smiles. 'In 20 years time, I will sit down with my kids and say: "Wow, I was part of Wembley history."'

Looking back now, he thinks he might have quit Rovers in 2009 too early. He had a good time in Greece with Olympiacos, winning a league title and playing in the Champions League, but felt a forgotten man back in England.

Derbyshire believes he may have left Blackburn too early when he moved abroad in 2009

He heaps praise on new boss John Carver, who knows his idol is Newcastle king Alan Shearer

STUNNING SEASON... Derbyshire is enjoying an incredible run of form in Cyprus this season. Here are his stats so far... League games: 20 League goals: 17 National Cup games: 2 National Cup goals: 1 Europa League games: 4 Europa League goals: 2 Advertisement

When he returned, the teams he played in at Birmingham City, Nottingham Forest, Oldham, Blackpool and Rotherham weren't as good as the Blackburn side he'd left.

He has his own theory about why many talented young English players fail to live up to their early hype.

'From my own experience, I think it is very important that young talents are given more gametime. I needed to play all the time to develop and that can be hard for strikers when some managers play only one up top.

'Maybe I should have stayed at some clubs to try and win my place. But I wanted to start games, not come on and be a bit-part player.

Derbyshire believes Daniel Sturridge needs regular game-time in order to find his form

The striker scores past Tim Howard in the FA Cup, one of his 20 first-team goals at Blackburn

'I've found a club now where the manager wants me and the team relies on me. I don't have to do as much running around, he wants me to conserve my energy and come alive in and around the box.

'I've always believed I will score goals with the right service, and now I've been given that chance.

'We all know how good Daniel Sturridge is but he needs to play every week because you can't replicate match sharpness any other way. He needs to be on the pitch, if not at Liverpool maybe somewhere else.'

Former Newcastle centre back Nikos Dabizas is Omonia Nicosia's current sporting director

Derbyshire lifts the Greek Cup in 2009, won during his initial loan spell at Olympiacos

Derbyshire says English players should 'jump at the chance' to play football abroad

Omonia, whose sporting director is another Newcastle United old boy, Nikos Dabizas, have ensured Derbyshire is happy off the field as well. Post-winter temperatures in Cyprus are already pushing 20 degrees and getting to the stage where the family will be able to use the swimming pool at home. Two of his three boys, aged between four and eight, play football at the Arsenal academy on the island.

Derbyshire, a natural fox-in-the-box finisher, has another year of his contract left to run and it wouldn't be a surprise if he chose to see his time out in the Cypriot capital, although his current scoring rate means he may also be of interest to clubs back in England.

He has no regrets heading way south to rebuild his career. 'If I had to give advice to any English player thinking of playing abroad, I would tell them to jump at the chance. It's a short career so why not?'