Derby County are going to be without right-back Ryan Nyambe for at least a month as he jets off to the Africa Cup of Nations with Namibia.
The absence of Ryan Nyambe comes as a huge blow to Paul Warne as the 26-year-old established himself as a mainstay in the side.
Nyambe arrived at Pride Park in the summer on a free transfer following a season at Wigan Athletic.
He brought with him vast experience of playing in the Championship having come through the youth ranks at Blackburn Rovers before going on to make 186 appearances in the second tier.
Previously described as the “best we’ve got” in one-on-one situations by Tony Mowbray during his managerial spell at Rovers, Nyambe has since excelled defensively under Warne.
In League One this term, the defensive titan has won 61% of his duels, recovered 4.3 balls and only been dribbled past 0.3 times per game, as per Sofascore.
After bringing such quality to statistically the second-best defence in the division, Nyambe’s absence leaves big shoes to fill, and Joe Ward now has to show he’s capable of stepping up, though he has struggled to hit the heights since arriving from Peterborough United in the summer.
Joe Ward has golden opportunity to impress Paul Warne
After scoring six goals and supplying ten assists for Peterborough last term, Warne thought he was getting a coup from one of his promotion rivals.
The 28-year-old, who can play on the wing or at right back, arrived with vast experience at League One level but has failed to kick on.
Although a heel injury held him back in the early stages of the season, he’s since been in and out of the side with Nyambe utilised on the right side of defence and Kane Wilson preferred on the right wing.
Ward has only started in two of Derby’s last 11 fixtures and he had a nightmare in both.
Against Wycombe Wanderers, he conceded the penalty that allowed the visitors to equalise in the 98th while in the 3-1 win over Lincoln City, he was substituted at half-time for Wilson after conceding another spot kick.
Now, Ward must put his previous misfortune behind him by impressing Warne in the absence of Nyambe.
After being described by former manager Darren Ferguson as a “fantastic servant” at Peterborough, he does possess the quality to turn his fortunes around.
With Nyambe at AFCON, he has a golden opportunity to stake his claim for a regular place in the starting XI and it’s one he must grasp with open arms.