Nathan Ellington admits he’s facing an uncertain future at Derby.

The departure of Paul Jewell means the 27-year-old, who converted to Islam in 2005, must prove to new manager Nigel Clough that he deserves a permanent contract with the East Midlands club.

Ellington is currently on a loan deal from Watford, which is due to expire at the end of the season.

If unable to secure a long term deal the player faces a return to Vicarage Road, where he admits spending the ‘worst time’ of his career.

His relationship with the then manager Aidy Boothroyd broke down resulting in the £4.5 million striker seeking fresh options.

He said: “I want to stay at Derby. The fans have been very supportive and they deserve success. At my stage of my career I’m looking for stability. This is a Premiership club, with a huge fan base and a fantastic modern stadium.

“My confidence is high and I have never doubted my ability.

"I know I can score goals. I have done it throughout my career. It is difficult to show what you can do when you come on as a substitute with 15 or 20 minutes to go in a match.”

Nicknamed Duke after the Jazz musician Duke Ellington the striker claims he sensed something had “happened” when former boss Jewell delivered a team talk during a 3-0 defeat by Preston.

He adds: “The club’s not doing well at the moment. We have slipped down the table. I am surprised that Paul left. He has always shown faith in me and I wanted to repay him for everything he had done for me.”

Ellington’s first game for his club was a hat trick against Lincoln in the Carling Cup. He finished top scorer in the competition with six goals. The club reached the semi finals in the competition before being defeated by Manchester United. They were also knocked out in the FA cup by the same side.

In the Championship Derby lie in 17th position only five clear of the relegation places. Ellington admits dropping out of the division ‘unthinkable’. He said: “We have very good players at this club. When the team is injury free we are a match for everyone in the division.”

He also harbours ambitions to play international football and qualifies for the country of his birth – England as well as Jamaica and Dominica, where his parents were born. In addition the player, who is married to a Bosnian, admits to exploring the possibility of representing the tiny Balkan nation.

He explains: “I have been over to both Tuzla and Sarajevo and it was my father in law who suggested that I looked into the matter. I spoke to a journalist who told me he would pass my details onto the Bosnian football authorities. However I haven’t heard anything from them.

"There is plenty going on at the Bosnian FA. It seems to be political or related to money. At this moment in time I don’t know where I stand.”

Currently many of Bosnia’s top players are refusing to represent their country. Two years ago serious allegations of corruption were made against two senior officials at the country’s football association.

Glasgow Rangers defender Sasa Papac has stated he will only play for the country ranked 59th in the FIFA rakings unless there is an overhaul at the Bosnian FA.

He added: “I would love to play for Bosnia. It’s a beautiful country and the people have been fantastic towards me. I would just like to help them. Last season Dominica did make some enquiries.

"However I have to start playing week in week out before these enquiries become concrete.”

Under FIFA’s five-year residency rules those players holding dual nationalities, can represent the country that they have now made their new home.

Brazilian footballers Deco and Eduardo have taken advantage of such a ruling and chosen to represent Portugal and Croatia respectively.

Polish authorities gave citizenship to Emannuel Odiseble and Roger Guerreiro who were born in Nigeria and Brazil. Anther high profile example is Marcos Senna, a Brazilian with dual Spanish nationality.

The defender played an instrumental role in Spain’s success in Euro 2008. Closer to home Scotland are looking into the possibility of selecting a Spanish born centre forward, while Arsenal’s Spanish goalkeeper Manual Almunia has expressed playing for England when he gains British citizenship.

However before there is an international call up Ellington admits he must kick start his career that he admits has “stalled”. He first made headlines when he scored a hat trick for Bristol Rovers against Derby in the 2002 FA Cup.

That same year he moved to Wigan, managed by Paul Jewell, for a club record £1.2 million pounds. He formed a formidable partnership with Jason Roberts and was instrumental in Wigan’s promotion to the Premiership. In total he scored 67 goals in 139 games.

Unable to agree a new contract the player signed for West Bromwich for a fee just over three million pounds. However his two year stay at the Hawthorns was marred by injury and a dip in form and the player was unable to break the strike partnership of Kevin Phillips and Diomansy Kamara.

With Derby flirting with relegation he has the perfect opportunity to score the goals to guarantee safety, but also repair a reputation that has declined steadily, due to two less than productive spells at West Bromwich and Watford.