Derby County boss Paul Warne insists he will continue to be careful with Derby County striker Tyreece John-Jules.
The on-loan Arsenal talisman has been sidelined for the majority of the season with a thigh problem and has only featured for a total of 53 minutes since arriving at Derby County.
The 22-year-old has been unfortunate with injuries so far, though he has come off the bench to score in his last two matches, netting the winner against Port Vale in League One and the final goal in their 3-0 victory over Fleetwood Town in the EFL Trophy.
Whilst supporters are calling for John-Jules to start after making such an incredible impact off the bench, Warne wants to ease him back in case he loses him to another injury.
He said: “It’s a weird thing as a manager, you see a player come off the bench and score two, you’re like I need to get him in the team.
“He’s the player I think we’ve been missing really, because he’s deadly in the box, strong and gives us something different.
“Although I want to get him in, if I put him in too soon I could lose him”
Warne is in a position where he doesn’t want to risk him getting injured but also knows he has the quality to play regularly and that is a frustrating situation to be in.
Despite wanting to play the youngster, he isn’t desperate to throw him in from the start as fellow striker, James Collins, has been in fine form recently, netting braces against Barnsley in November and Fleetwood in the EFL Trophy.
Collins has scored seven goals in 21 appearances, however, if John-Jules was presented with a prolonged run in the team, he possesses the talent to eclipse that tally.
Will Derby extend John-Jules loan beyond January?
Derby are in a position where they need to decide whether to extend his loan beyond January or send him back to North London.
After scoring with his first touch against Port Vale in League One, which closed the gap to leaders Bolton to just six points ahead of the festive programme, John-Jules says he is desperate for regular minutes moving forward.
He said: “I just want to stay fit. That’s my main objective and play as many games as possible from now until January – I just want to play football. We’ve got a good relationship here so we’ll see.”
If the youngster can stay fit, he’s a weapon that Warne must unleash over the festive period with the Rams embarking on a run of seven games in less than a month.
A quick and powerful forward, who possesses a clinical edge in the box, the Englishman is the sort of striker that Derby need to become more potent in the final third.