Portsmouth rivals handed major injury blow as key player is ruled 'out', pundit issues contract advice

Portsmouth are back to having important daylight between them and the rest of the top six in the League One table. Derby County have been one of Pompey's closest rivals this season but after their defeat to Northampton Town, the Blues have a five-point cushion, with a game in-hand still to play.

Portsmouth are in a great position to get their hands on the title this season, but the fight for other promotion spots continue. Here's a roundup of some of the latest rival headlines as Pompey continue to pull away at the top of the table.

Derby handed big injury blow

Fellow promotion pushers Derby have been dealt yet another injury problem following the latest update on Nathaniel Méndez-Laing. The versatile winger recently smashed the club's record for most league assists made in a single season but now, their key man could be set for a significant spell on the sidelines.

The Rams' narrow defeat to Northampton was made even worse when Méndez-Laing was forced off the pitch with an injury concern. BBC Journalist Ed Dawes posted on Twitter after the match that Paul Warne had said Méndez-Laing is 'out', having injured his hamstring.

Derby have followed up with their own report, with the manager confirming: "My honest opinion is that he's pulled something because he's been physically resilient for us and played a lot of time. We'll know more early next week."

Palmer issues contract advice

Derby boss Warne is also without Dwight Gayle, who is expected to be out for '2-3 weeks' after also picking up a hamstring injury recently. The striker signed for the Rams in February as a free agent after leaving Stoke City — he is contracted until the end of the season but Carlton Palmer has urged the club to wait before considering extending his terms.

"I don’t think they need to rush into offering him a new contract, they need to get to the end of the season, re-evaluate where they are and what they need when they get promoted to the Championship, because the Championship is a whole new ball game," the former midfielder told Football League World.

"Given Gayle’s experience and given Warne won’t be able to go out and make big-money signings, perhaps at the end of the season because Dwight’s enjoying himself, maybe they’ll be happy to agree a season-long deal or a pay as you play deal which works for both parties."