After a highly successful campaign in Israel in which Blackman scored 12 goals, Maccabi’s enquiries about signing the striker permanently were rebuffed and Blackman was ordered to report for training with the Championship team after the end-of-season break. 

Derby currently have no manager after losing in the promotion playoffs, making Blackman’s future unclear.

“I’m sure one day I’ll be wearing the yellow and blue shirt of Maccabi again,” said Blackman. “It’s been a fantastic season and I want to thank Jordi Cruyff and my team-mates for the privilege of being able to score the winning goal against Villareal in the Europa League and to win the first trophy of my career (the Toto Cup, Israel’s equivalent of the League Cup).”

Blackman cut a popular figure in Tel Aviv where he took out Israeli citizenship. The son of a West Indian father and Jewish mother, Blackman was able to connect with his Jewish heritage in Israel. On Holocaust Day, he visited Yad Vashem in Jerusalem to record the story of his maternal grandfather, Ben Rosenfeld, who survived the Lodz ghetto, in Poland, and Auschwitz before reaching England after the war.

Blackman, 28, has also indicated he would like to play for the Israel national team. With Israeli clubs limited to six foreign players, having Israeli citizenship has given Blackman extra value in Ligat Ha’al and champions Hapoel Beer Sheva would also reportedly be interested in his services.

For his part, Blackman believes that playing outside of England has enhanced his football abilities. “I think it’s a fantastic thing to do, I don’t see a downside to it,” he commented. 

“Sometimes it’s good for you to change your environment. I would tell any other English player to go for it.”

He went on to say: “Maccabi are the biggest club in Israel without doubt, so it’s been fantastic to play in such a pressured environment.

“It’s been a big learning curve for me in how to deal with that pressure but it’s something I’ve embraced and really enjoyed.”