Derby County man could return against Portsmouth but several players remain out of action

Derby County have several players out of action as they prepare to take on Pompey this weekend. The Rams are sat down in 9th position in the table and lost 2-1 away at Bolton Wanderers in their last outing.

Paul Warne will be without midfielder Liam Thompson after he pulled his quad muscle in training recently. He is now poised to be out of action for the next eight weeks at least.

Pompey’s upcoming opponents also have Max Bird in the treatment room. He was a target for Hull City in the last transfer window but injury meant the Tigers had to look elsewhere for reinforcements in the middle of the park.

The Rams swooped to land right-back Kane Wilson and winger Joe Ward from Bristol City and Peterborough United over the summer but they are both injured until October. Wilson has a hamstring problem and Ward has an issue with his heel.

Young centre-back Jake Rooney ruptured his ACL in their defeat at Bolton before the international break. He faces a long road to recovery now.

On a more positive note for Derby, they could welcome Tom Barkhuizen back against Pompey. Louie Sibley is also making good progress from his groin injury.

The Rams are looking forward to the game and their left-back Callum Elder has told their club website: “If we were to reflect on some of the games this season, in crucial moments we’ve nearly been there and the manager has spoke to us multiple times to reiterate the point that this is the here and now.

“We have the opportunity to do something really good but we need to stamp our authority now, not in one month or three months.

“As we move forward we need to stamp our authority on this league. We’ve got a great group of players, a great coaching staff. We are all in it together and now is an important time to show our qualities and strengths in the division.”