Paul Warne has dropped a concerning injury update on Derby County striker James Collins.
James Collins has been an ever present figure for Derby County this term, netting 18 goals in all competitions.
The forward has been vital for the Rams’ promotion push and the team’s lack of depth in that position meant that his absence would be a big worry.
Derby’s nightmare now appears to have come true, with Collins left out of the match-day squad for their 1-0 win over Stevenage this weekend.
It was reported earlier this week that Collins was set to undergo a scan after going down injured during Tuesday’s victory over Exeter City, despite managing to play on for the full 90 minutes.
After missing out at Pride Park yesterday, Warne has now confirmed the extent of his issue and has revealed that he will be out for ‘significant weeks’.
Speaking to the official club website, the Rams boss said: “You could see the effect of Collo not being out on the pitch today. I knew after the Exeter game, with the way the medical team were talking, it wasn’t a good sign. He is going to be out for a good period, significant weeks.
“If we are fortunate, we could see him near the end of the season. Collo is a great professional and is really dedicated. He will be a big miss and we’ll do everything to get him back before the end of the season. We had a bit of adversity today and we had to roll our sleeves up to get the win.”
Can Derby County cope without James Collins?
James Collins’ absence meant Nathaniel Mendez-Laing was pushed up front, with not a single forward on the bench. Conor Washington, Martyn Waghorn and Tyreece John-Jules are all sidelined with their own injuries.
Collins’ importance to this team has been very obvious all season, while they only managed two shots on target without him against Stevenage.
Derby won’t want to crumble as they sit in League One‘s top two, however recent claims that they are on the verge of signing free agent Dwight Gayle could give them a huge boost.
The 34-year-old struggled at Stoke City, but a total of 62 goals in 145 games in the Championship makes him a risk worth taking for a team in the third tier.
Fans will be hoping he returns before the end of the season though, with that last stage of the campaign likely to be vital if they are to achieve automatic promotion.