Paul Warne has now been dealt a ‘bad’ injury blow as one of his Derby County stars is now facing up to four months on the sidelines.
Derby supporters were delighted on Wednesday as David Ozoh was confirmed as their sixth signing of the summer, joining on loan from Crystal Palace.
Sadly, the joy of his arrival was short-lived as the Rams were thrashed 4-0 by Chesterfield in their latest pre-season friendly.
The League Two newcomers dominated proceedings from start to finish as goals from Ollie Banks, Will Grigg and a double from James Berry handed Paul Warne his first loss of pre-season.
A defeat in that manner would be a cause for concern if it was in a competitive fixture however, as it was a friendly, there is no need for supporters to panic.
Unfortunately, the scoreline wasn’t the only reason why supporters were left saddened as it emerged that one of Warne’s first-team players could face four months on the sidelines.
Derby County dealt ‘bad’ Jake Rooney injury blow
Jake Rooney suffered an anterior crucial ligament injury in the defeat to Bolton Wanderers in September last year.
The talented young centre-back battled back phenomenally well to thrust himself back into first-team training and even outlined his aim to return to Warne’s starting XI in the Championship.
That was until news broke that just a couple of weeks after his battle to get back fit was complete, the 20-year-old has now suffered another long-term injury after damaging his keen in Spain.
Relaying comments from manager Warne, journalist Dominic Dietrich reports that he could be out for four months, dealing the player and everyone associated with the club a massive blow.
Rooney is a promising young player, whose awful luck with injuries has hampered his recent development and given Derby extra reason to invest in another defender.
Derby now need to sign another centre-back
With Rooney sidelined, the only natural centre-backs at Warne’s disposal are Eiran Cashin, Sonny Bradley and Curtis Nelson.
READ MORE: Derby County star Eiran Cashin’s journey from almost released to Premier League transfer interest
Although the Rams boss has used full-backs Ryan Nyambe and Craig Forsyth as central defenders in pre-season, investment is needed in this position, especially after seeing the youngster suffer an injury.
There was a chance that Rooney would have been fourth or fifth choice heading into the Championship, had he stayed fit, but he’s been denied that chance with this latest blow.
This should see David Clowes dig deep into his pockets and invest in a new centre-back, either a youngster with the long-term in mind, or an experienced player who can challenge the likes of Nelson and Cashin for a place in the back three.
Currently, Warne is prioritising a new goalkeeper after agreeing a fee for Jacob Widell Zetterstrom but once that deal is finalised, he must look at reinforcements in attack and central defence.