Ryan Noble has returned to Sunderland following his loan spell at Derby.
Noble's month-long stay at Pride Park ended after the Rams' npower Championship fixture at home to Reading on Tuesday night.
The highly-rated striker was not involved as Nigel Clough's side slipped to a 1-0 defeat.
Noble made two appearances during his loan, coming off the bench as a second-half substitute at Burnley and then making his first-ever career start against Barnsley at Oakwell.
"We had a chat with Ryan on Monday and with Theo Robinson, Nathan Tyson and Steven Davies now edging towards full fitness after injury, we couldn't promise him a regular start," said Derby boss Clough.
"He has been great to have around the place and we are as frustrated as him that his chances were limited during the month. He couldn't play against Stoke in the FA Cup and there was a good chance he would have started against Forest but it got called off because of the snow.
"Ryan has been unlucky but he goes back to Sunderland with our very best wishes. We would like to thank (Sunderland manager) Martin O'Neill for allowing him to spend some time with us."