Paul Warne has issued a positive update on the fitness of Callum Elder and Craig Forsyth ahead of Derby County’s clash against Reading tonight.
Derby County have cruised to successive 3-0 victories in their last two matches, comfortably beating Port Vale at Pride Park and Bristol Rovers on their travels.
It means that promotion back to the Championship is now in their own hands, but only just, as the Rams are one point above second-place Bolton Wanderers.
During a period when Derby have seen an upturn in form, they are also nursing their key players back to full health.
Martyn Waghorn returned to the squad following a long-term injury in the defeat to Charlton Athletic and then scored off the bench against Bristol Rovers last time out.
Fellow striker James Collins is also edging ever closer to a return to action and is eyeing up the home fixture against Blackpool at the end of March.
Whilst Derby have received good news in the forward areas, Paul Warne has now dropped a positive update on Callum Elder and Craig Forsyth, giving their defence a huge boost.
Craig Forsyth and Callum Elder are back in the squad
Veteran left-back Forsyth has been out injured with an ankle injury picked up in the victory over Fleetwood Town in December.
Meanwhile, Elder has struggled with injuries throughout his Derby career and has missed their last three matches with a minor knock.
During the time their two left-sided defenders have been injured, Warne has experimented with Eiran Cashin as a left-back before switching to a three-at-the-back system and using Louie Sibley as a wing-back.
Now, he’s been boosted by the news that Elder and Forsyth have returned to the Derby squad.
“Callum Elder and Craig Forsyth are back in the squad, which is good,” Warne told the Derby County official website. “It will be a 20-man squad but the game might be too soon for Tyrese Fornah who is a still a little bit stiff in the back.”
Elder and Forsyth will have to be patient
In the first half of the campaign, Forsyth was Warne’s first-choice left-back, however, the emergence of Sibley in that position has cast doubts over his place in the side, especially with the change in system.
Since the Rams switched to wing-backs, they have looked infinitely better going forward and have played some free-flowing football.
And while it’s clear that Forsyth is a better defender than Sibley, the 22-year-old is better than the veteran going forward.
With plenty of action to come in the promotion race, Warne has been boosted by the fact that he has two strong players in that position while throwing Elder into the mix, too, gives him an even bigger decision to ponder over.