The Rams winger was fit to face Bristol City as was striker Conor Washington but both sat out the 3-0 victory.
Paul Warne claims Derby County’s great win against Bristol City revealed no new injury concerns, as he explained the absences of Corey Blackett-Taylor and Conor Washington.
Due to the international break, Derby will not be in play until they host Cardiff City in 11 days, leaving Warne with some difficult decisions to make when the Championship returns. New signings Nat Phillips and Marcus Harness will join the squad after signing late on deadline day, giving Warne an extra headache as two players will be sidelined.
Nathaniel Mendez-Laing should be fine to face his previous club after being substituted in the 3-0 victory over Liam Manning’s side, a decision made because of how much energy he put into his performance.
Ben Osborn will also return after missing the previous three games owing to a minor calf injury. While Warne could have played over the weekend, he felt it was not worth the risk.
Blackett-Taylor and Washington were both fit to play at the weekend after training all week, but Warne chose not to include them due to contention for spots.
Warne told Derbyshire Live: “Nat is fine, but he has X amount of nitro.” After that, it’s ‘come on, mate, you’ve won us the game, you’ve been a good captain, but you’re exhausted; let’s recharge you’. It was not an injury. I was concerned about Ryan Nyambe and Kenzo, who were both stretching.
“But there were no injuries during the game. Ben Osborn could have played, but we did not want to take the risk. Corey Blackett-Taylor and Conor Washington practiced all week but were unable to make the team.
“I was always going to bring Eiran Cashin back, so there’s competition for spots. You want training to be as effective as it can be, and you want players to glance over their shoulders. “That’s how sick it is to be a football manager.”
Jake Rooney will be unavailable for the visit of Cardiff due to a knee injury, while Kane Wilson is also struggling to recover from a hamstring injury sustained in the win against Middlesbrough.