Derby County will be without striker Conor Washington after it was revealed by Derby Telegraph that he’s in need of an operation.
The 31-year-old, who has three goals in 14 League One outings this season, has been a peripheral figure for Paul Warne’s side as they hunt a return to the Championship. However, following a spell away with Northern Ireland, where he played just 35 minutes of football across two matches, it has been revealed he’ll now be out for up to 12 weeks with an ankle injury.
“He’s not in a good place, obviously,” Paul Warne said ahead of tomorrow night’s fixture against Port Vale. “He went to Ireland and played the two games and came back with an ankle injury. Unfortunately, two of the three ligaments are damaged, so he is going to need an op and will be out for 12 weeks after it has taken place.”
Washington had bagged two in his last three league outings for the Rams, having started six of his 14 league matches. The former Queens Park Rangers man now adds to the striker woes at Pride Park, with loanee Tyreece John-Jules also part of the walking wounded not yet at Warne’s disposal.
The former Rotherham boss, who took Washington to the Millers last season, also revealed he was a little disappointed with the situation at Northern Ireland. Washington missed the FA Cup replay against Crewe with an injury but was still called up by his country for their qualifiers.
“He had a tight calf, so we didn’t take the risk with him for the Crewe game, but internationals take precedence,” added Warne.
“They wanted to see him, and we can’t refuse. He was declared fit and played in both games. Unfortunately, it’s a blow, and having international players on one hand is great because it suggests they are better players.
“But the risk is that when others are getting rest, they might not come back fully fit. We were lucky the others did. We won’t boo-hoo about it, but it’s disappointing.”
Washington began his career in Cambridgeshire with St Ives and was picked up by Peterborough United after a spell at Newport County. QPR paid between £2.5m and £3m for his services in January 2016, but his contract was cancelled in 2018. Since then, he’s appeared for Sheffield United, Hearts, Charlton, Rotherham and, most recently, Paul Warne’s Derby.
Writer’s View
This is a blow for Derby, but it isn’t like they’re losing their only striking option. James Collins has ten goals this season, whilst Martyn Waghorn has bagged six in 15. John-Jules was an unused sub this week, and it looks like he is also closing in on a return to action.
It is a blow to lose a player to injury, but Derby have a deeper squad than many. For other clubs in the division, the damage caused by losing a striker isn’t so easily absorbed.
In fairness to Warne, he isn’t making a huge deal of it, even if it does marginally dent their quest for Championship football.
