Derby County will be without three players for a minimum of two months due to injury.
Paul Warne has now confirmed that Max Bird, Kane Wilson and Joe Ward all face long spells on the sidelines.
Wilson and Ward only joined the Rams this summer from Bristol City and Peterborough United respectively, however the club were two of three players that picked up serious injuries during their defeat to Oxford United midweek.
Wilson, Ward and Bird were all subsequently left out of Derby’s narrow win over Fleetwood Town yesterday and Warne has now provided the unfortunate news that fans didn’t want to hear.
Speaking after the victory at Pride Park, Warne said: “Kane Wilson has unfortunately damaged a tendon in his hamstring and he is out for eight weeks.
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“Joe Ward has ripped the fat pad off his heel and is out for eight weeks at least.
“And Max Bird has damaged his ankle. I feel for Max more than anyone because he was the fittest player in pre-season and the best performer this season in my opinion.
“He tackles in the 93rd minute against Oxford, somebody lands on him and he’s damaged his ankle ligaments.
“He could be out for eight to 10 weeks. It’s a massive blow and I asked the lads to play with character and they sort of dedicated that win to Birdy.
“It was a massive blow with all those three going. We asked Jake Rooney to step in and he did brilliantly. But the injuries make it really more obvious that we need to strengthen.”
Max Bird’s injury will end Hull City’s interest in Derby County midfielder
Max Bird may not return to action until November and his long-term injury is now likely to end interest from Hull City.
The Tigers had already seen a bid rejected for the midfielder, but reports claimed they were confident that they could land Bird this summer.
The 22-year-old was also thought to be keen on the switch and it looked increasingly likely that Derby could lose him in the final weeks of the window.
However, Hull are likely to look at alternatives following Bird’s injury. While the Championship club could still come back in for him in January, the Rams will be eager to tie him down to a new contract to avoid him potentially leaving for free at the end of his contract next summer.