Exactly two years ago today, with one swift swing of his left boot in front of the Bramall Lane Kop, Tyrese Campbell wrote his name into Sheffield United folklore with the winner against Wednesday and earned himself a new middle name in the process. It was, he described at the time, a surreal moment but his decisive finish helped the Blades to yet another derby double over their oldest enemy.

It was one of 11 goals Campbell scored that season, as he reached double figures for the first time in his professional career, and came amongst a run of six in eight games. It was his debut campaign at Bramall Lane, on a free from Stoke City, and it looked like an inspired piece of business.

But two years on, Campbell finds himself in a very different position. He has gone from United’s main man to almost a last resort, struggling to get a look in at all. He got just a few minutes off the bench at Charlton on Saturday; his tally of 243 in the league this term is fewer than all United’s other senior strikers.

Even recently, with Patrick Bamford sidelined with a shoulder issue, he has barely had a sniff. Jordan Ayew, who only signed for the Blades in early September after a summer without a club and turned 35 later that month, seems to have leapfrogged him in the pecking order at Bramall Lane. On a couple of occasions this season, Campbell didn’t even make United’s matchday squad.

How did it come to this? His supporters will point to a lack of minutes to impress, but the argument works both ways and it’s hard to argue he’s done enough to earn more opportunities as well.

One of his better opportunities came against Derby County recently, when United piled on the pressure against 10 men but couldn't find another way past Jacob Zetterstrom after Bamford's equaliser.

Campbell forced a smart save from the Derby ‘keeper but also missed a sitter from a few yards out, and looks every inch a striker low on confidence. In fairness that’s not really surprising; in his 31 appearances since adding to his torment of Wednesday last season with a brace in a 3-0 win, he has scored once.

United still see enough in the striker to have extended his contract, until 2028, while at 26 years old he is hardly a busted flush. But he is not a kid either and at a time when many strikers are entering the peak years of their careers, Campbell’s seems to be at something of a crossroads.

This is not to say that Campbell has become a bad footballer overnight, even if he does seem restricted to short bursts as an impact player rather than one capable of making the repeated runs in behind that Chris Wilder demands.

In his first season, often deployed as a lone striker, he was superb at running the channels, holding the ball up, doing the unsexy stuff to bring the likes of Gus Hamer and Callum O’Hare into play.

But for reasons no-one has really seemed to be able to put a finger on, we haven’t seen that player for a while now and there seems a very real danger that his time at United will be defined by what he once promised, rather than what he's currently delivering.

After extending Campbell’s deal, Wilder spoke about a “firing” Campbell being “a major player for us and a major threat to the division ... and if we can get him to those standards then there's no limit to what he can achieve here with us."

The player himself talked about repaying the faith placed in him by manager and club but, quite simply, he needs to do more. Both to force his way back in and, two years on from his derby day heroics, to give United reason to believe that player is still there.