According to manager Paul Warne, a “commanding” Derby County player might miss up to 14 matches due to an injury.
Derby’s promising start to new season
The Rams returned to the Championship after being promoted from League One last season, and it was always going to be interesting to see how Warne’s team fared in English football’s second tier.
Derby have had a great start to the season, winning three of their first five league games, including a 1-0 victory over Cardiff City at home on Saturday.
The early signals suggest that the Rams are well-equipped to maintain their Championship position for another season, while supporters may be dreaming big and considering a promotion drive, as Ipswich Town shown that back-to-back promotions are achievable.
In order for that to happen, Warne will need to be fortunate in the injury department, allowing him to rotate successfully during a grueling season, but a concerning update has arisen regarding one player.
Warne drops worrying Derby injury news
Warne told The Derby Telegraph that Derby loanee David Ozoh might miss up to 14 matches due to a hamstring problem. Warne hinted that Ozoh could miss up to 12 weeks of action in the worst-case situation, which would be until December 7th, with a scan scheduled for Monday and the player “down in the dumps”.
“He (David) is feeling down, bless him. I should know this, but I’m not sure if he’s had a hamstring injury previously. He certainly felt it, but we don’t know how serious it is yet. He’ll have a scan on Monday, and it may be a couple of weeks with a twinge, or eight or twelve weeks. We are fortunate to have a good medical team, therefore we will get him back.”
This might be a major setback for both Ozoh and Derby, as the 19-year-old has caught the eye since joining on loan from Crystal Palace during the summer transfer window.
Prior to the injury, the midfielder had started all five of his team’s Championship games this season, with an incredible 95.1% pass completion rate and an average of 3.8 tackles per game, more than any other Rams player. Meanwhile, former Derby ace Shaun Barker has expressed his gratitude to Ozoh, saying:
“If you had given him another three or four minutes to choose the match’s best player, he might have won.” He was so outstanding in the last 5-10 minutes; he appeared to be more commanding, making more tackles, not losing the ball, driving forward, and scoring. So another player’s confidence seemed to build, and his performance improved significantly in the last ten and fifteen minutes. So happy for him; 19 years old, only a few starts, and what a player he will be for Derby this season.”
Hopefully, Warne’s worst-case scenario of 12 weeks is not realized, and Ozoh will return much sooner, since his impact in the first few weeks of the season demonstrated how crucial he will be to Derby this season.
Should that be the case, there are some huge matches that he will be unavailable for, including trips to Sunderland and Leeds United, although the latter is on December 7, at which point he will hopefully be back.