Paul Warne has issued an update on Dwight Gayle after he was forced off in Derby County’s win over Bolton Wanderers.
Derby County picked up their fourth successive win as they narrowly beat Bolton on home soil, with Kane Wilson’s second-half opener proving to be the only goal of the game.
It was a huge victory for the Rams, who had sat only one point above their promotion rivals. Paul Warne‘s side now sit four points clear and are only five points from the League One top spot.
While the club are enjoying some brilliant form and face a scintillating end to their campaign, they may be forced to play some of it without Dwight Gayle.
The striker’s substitution was one of only a few negatives from the clash at Pride Park, as he was replaced by Michael Smith after only 21 minutes.
Warne has now issued a ten-word verdict on his injury, telling the official club website: “Dwight Gayle felt his hamstring, which is not a good sign.”
He then provided a more lengthy update to Derbyshire Live on how long he could be out for. He said: “It depends on how severe it is. It could be two weeks, four weeks, six weeks or eight weeks.
“My personal guess is that it will be four weeks. I have a lot of skills but medicine isn’t my top one. But hopefully, it won’t be too bad.”
If Paul Warne is right, then that could mean Gayle will miss matches against Northampton, Blackpool, Portsmouth, Wycombe and Leyton Orient.
How do Derby County manage Dwight Gayle injury?
It will be a huge loss for the Rams, with Gayle having netted three goals in his previous three games.
However, the Derby County boss also confirmed that Conor Washington is now fit, while Martyn Waghorn has come off the bench in the last five games since returning from a calf injury.
It was also previously reported that James Collins could make his comeback before the end of the month, so Gayle’s injury may not be the worst thing in the world if they can make it through the next couple of matches unscathed.
Derby have really been hit with force in the injury department this term, but have so far handled it pretty well.
Gayle’s form has been highly positive and should still have plenty of time to pick up where he left off once he returns, at which point they could have both Gayle and Collins to spur them on to promotion.