After suffering an injury, a “commanding” Derby County player may now miss up to 14 games, according to a manager’s report.
Derby’s impressive start to the new campaign
Following their promotion from League One to the Championship last season, the Rams were back in the top division of English football, therefore it would be interesting to watch how Warne’s team performed.
Derby has performed admirably thus far, winning three of its first five league games, including this Saturday afternoon’s 1-0 victory at home against Cardiff City.
Early indications point to the Rams being well-positioned to hold onto their Championship status for another season, but fans may be planning for the impossible and considering a potential push for promotion—after all, Ipswich Town has proven that back-to-back promotions are feasible.
Warne will need to be lucky in the injury department for that to occur, enabling him to rotate efficiently during a demanding season, but a concerning development has surfaced about one player.
Warne provides concerning Derby injury updates.
In an interview with The Derby Telegraph, Warne acknowledged that David Ozoh, a Derby loanee, may miss up to 14 games due to a hamstring injury. In the worst-case scenario, which would extend until December 7th, Warne hinted that Ozoh would miss up to 12 weeks of action, with a scan scheduled for Monday and the player “down in the dumps.”
“Bless him, David seems a little depressed. Although it should go without saying, I am not sure whether he is ever had a hamstring injury. Though the extent of it is still unknown, he clearly felt it. On Monday, he will get a scan; the results could indicate that he has a twinge or that he has been sick for eight or twelve weeks. We will get him back because we are fortunate to have a top-notch medical team.”
Considering that Ozoh, 19, has drawn attention since joining on loan from Crystal Palace during the summer transfer window, this might be a huge blow for both Derby and Ozoh.The midfielder had started all five of his team’s Championship games this season before suffering the injury blow. He had an extremely good pass completion percentage of 95.1% and routinely had more tackles per game—3.8—than any other Rams player. Shaun Barker, a former Derby star, has expressed his gratitude for Ozoh, saying:
“He might have won player of the match if you had given him an extra three or four minutes to choose. In the final five to ten minutes, he was really good; he appeared more in control, made more tackles, kept the ball in his possession, and raced forward to score. Thus, in the final ten and a half minutes, another player appeared to gain confidence and elevate his game. I am happy for him because, at 19, he has only made a few starts, but what a player he will be for Derby this year.”
With his impact in the first few weeks of the season demonstrating how crucial he will be to Derby this year, let us hope Warne’s worst-case scenario of 12 weeks does not come to pass and Ozoh returns significantly sooner.
If that turns out to be the case, he will miss several important games, such as trips to Sunderland and Leeds United, the latter of which is on December 7, when he should be returning.
