Derby County manager Paul Warne has revealed which of his three injured players have returned to training ahead of Thursday’s clash with Lincoln City.
Derby kicked off a busy festive schedule with a disappointing 1-1 draw against Wycombe Wanderers on Saturday as Tom Barkhuizen scored from the bench for the second game running.
Despite dropping points in the 98th minute, complacency has rarely crept into their game in recent weeks.
Paul Warne’s side were on a five-match winning streak in League One before that result and kept a clean sheet in four of those games
That strong run has propelled the Rams into automatic promotion contention with only four points separating them from second-place Peterborough.
Ahead of their fixture against Lincoln City tomorrow night, Derby have the chance to pile the pressure onto their promotion rivals with victory.
With the fixtures coming thick and fast over Christmas, Warne needs all of his players at his disposal and thankfully, he’s been boosted by the news that three of his first-team stars are stepping up their return to action.
Which players are close to returning to action for Paul Warne?
Defender Ryan Nyambe is now back in training, while Callum Elder and Liam Thompson have stepped up their returns with more sessions under their belts.
Although the Lincoln match may prove to be too soon for them, the news of their return is a welcome boost, particularly heading into a tricky festive schedule.
Speaking to RamsTV ahead of the Lincoln game, Warne said: “We have no injuries from Saturday,
“Ryan Nyambe is back in training today. Callum Elder and Liam Thompson have got more training in their legs too.”
Derby are heading into a period where they play seven matches in the space of a month and having everyone fit will be crucial to their chances of making further ground in their pursuit of automatic promotion.
Derby need to bounce back against Lincoln City
In their last five matches in League One, only Peterborough – the side in second place – can match the Rams record of fours win and a draw.
Although their draw against Wycombe was a mini-blip, a chance to put that right against Lincoln tomorrow night will show where their mentality is currently at.
The Imps can move to within two points of Derby with a win, though they have played two games more.
Nonetheless, Derby must put in a statement performance against Lincoln and ensure they are within touching distance of automatic promotion before they are next in action on Boxing Day.