Derby County have been dealt a major blow regarding the fitness of Lee Buchanan ahead of their upcoming Carabao Cup tie.
What’s the latest?
Speaking in the build-up to the Rams’ EFL Cup fixture against Salford City on Tuesday evening, Wayne Rooney shed some light on the current state of his Derby County side.
One player the 35-year-old discussed was Buchanan, with the left-back having missed the club’s Championship opener against Huddersfield Town on Saturday due to a thigh injury.
And, it would appear as if the 20-year-old will once again be watching from the stands at Pride Park on Tuesday, with Rooney revealing that the England U21 international has not recovered in time for the cup clash, as well as claiming the defender could be a doubt for the trip to Peterborough United on Saturday.
As cited by Derbyshire Live, the manager said: “Lee won’t be involved, he is still recovering. He will be touch and go for next Saturday. We are hoping he is ready for Saturday but will have to wait and see what the next couple of days brings.”
Rooney will be gutted
Derby fans will not need reminding just how threadbare their first-team squad is at present, with Rooney having just 14 outfield players at his disposal, four of whom – Tom Lawrence, Jason Knight, Krystian Bielik and Buchanan – are currently carrying knocks.
As such, while the visit of Salford in the Carabao Cup will not exactly be high on the 35-year-old’s list of must-win games this season – as it would appear likely the Rams will be putting all of their energy into ensuring that they remain in the Championship come the end of the campaign – the fact that Buchanan has not been deemed fit enough to feature will nevertheless have left the manager gutted.
Indeed, the match would have provided the man Rooney dubbed a “top player” with a relatively pressure-free run out to help him ease back into his stride before returning to action in the league.
However, with it looking as if the left-back will remain sidelined for the visit of Salford, as well as potentially missing out on the trip to Peterborough this weekend, the Rams boss may well be forced to start Craig Forsyth in the position once again on Tuesday evening, although both Rooney and the 32-year-old will more than likely wish the defender could sit out the Salford game with the Championship fixtures already coming thick and fast.
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