Zadko joined Sydney FC after a spell at Notts County ended when he was frozen out by a new manager.

"I was very young then, and very inexperienced, but things have changed," he revealed on the club website in his first interview since signing with Derby.

"Since then I have played a lot of international football with my age group, and I've been called up to the national side, so I'm ready to play.

"There are points to prove, especially to some peopole, but I love a challenge and I'm ready for that."

After he was released by Sydney last month - which could mean the A-League side miss out on a FIFA Training Compensation fee from the Rams - he headed to England and trained with Crystal Palace despite having done a deal with Newcastle Jets.

Now though he is purely focused on impressing at Derby alongside fellow Aussie Mile Sterjovski who joined the club in January.

"Mile has been such a big help and he is one of the reasons why I wanted to come here," he added.

"He is such a nice person off the field and such a good player on it that I can only learn from him.

"To have a mate like that here, a fellow Australian, will be good for me.

"Obviously the facilities here are great, I saw that for myself, but Mile also spoke very highly of the club and gave me a lot of positive feedback.

"But just take a look around - you don't have to say much about a club like this."

He added: "This is such a massive club and we can only expect bigger and better things.

"Things haven't gone the way the club wanted this season but everyone is looking to the future and I want to be a part of that.

"Now the team is relegated they can only start building as there is no point dwelling on the past - what has happened has happened.

"This is a massive club with great potential and I can only see them going back to the Premier League, which has got to be the goal."

Picture courtesy of Derby County FC