Derby County boss Paul Warne believes they’d be in huge trouble if they were to lose Nathaniel Mendez-Laing through injury.
Derby County kept the pressure on Portsmouth at the top of League One by beating Reading 2-1 last night.
A terrific finish from Dwight Gayle and a calmly taken penalty from Conor Hourihane gave the hosts a narrow victory, although the statistics suggest it should have been more comfortable.
The Rams dominated 55% of the ball and registered 18 shots on goal with the Royals scoring from just their first and only shot on target in the match.
Paul Warne was pleased to have come through a tough encounter unscathed ready for their pivotal clash against Bolton Wanderers.
The Derby faithful will be full of nerves as they converge towards Pride Park on Saturday afternoon and they’ll hope that Nathaniel Mendez-Laing can produce a moment of magic.
After all, the powerful winger has been in sensational form this season, setting a record for the number of assists he’s registered in one campaign (15) and scoring nine goals.
Those figures alone suggest the 31-year-old has been indispensable to the Rams attack and that is a notion shared by Warne.
Paul Warne believes Derby County are in trouble if they lose Nathaniel Mendez-Laing
Just like when Liverpool lost Mohamed Salah and Manchester City lost Erling Haaland to injury, a similar panic would set in if Derby were to lose Mendez-Laing.
Their star winger is irreplaceable, as highlighted by the number of goals and assists he’s produced, but also his all-round game.
Warne has now revealed how he would feel if he lost the former Cardiff City man through injury and has even highlighted his importance to the players.
“I think Nat’s performances this year have been pretty phenomenal really and there has been times in the season where I’ve said to the lads, ‘if anything happens to Nat, we’re in trouble here’,” Warne told Derby County’s official website.
More Mendez-Laing magic needed
Although some of Derby’s players, particularly Gayle, have proven they can step up when Mendez-Laing doesn’t score or assist, Warne will need his winger to be bang in form as we approach the run-in.
Derby face two season-defining fixtures against Bolton on Saturday and Portsmouth at the start of April, so whoever claims victory in those matches could go on to win promotion.
Pompey are in pole position currently to win the title, but the Rams have a stranglehold on second, albeit by just a point.
With the magic he has in his boots, Mendez-Laing can sprinkle it against Bolton on Saturday and create clear daylight between them and the Trotters.