Wayne Rooney reveals significant Derby County injury blow | OneFootball

Derby County manager Wayne Rooney has confirmed that Sam Baldock will be forced to watch on from the sidelines for several weeks due to a hamstring injury that he suffered during last Sunday’s clash with AFC Bournemouth.

The forward was substituted in the first-half of this fixture after picking up his issue and was replaced by Colin Kazim-Richards.

Unavailable for selection for yesterday’s meeting with Fulham, Baldock will be hoping that his side will be able to pick up some positive results in the Championship during his absence.

The Rams backed up their impressive 3-2 victory over Bournemouth by securing a point in their showdown with the Cottagers.

Tom Lawrence went close to opening the scoring for Derby in the first-half as he fired wide.

Following the break, Fulham dominated proceedings as Fabio Carvalho hit the post and had another effort saved by Kelle Roos.

Curtis Davies cleared Rodrigo Muniz’s effort off the line to secure a clean-sheet for the Rams at Craven Cottage.

After the game, Rooney shared an update on Baldock’s current situation.

Speaking to the Derby Telegraph about the extent of the forward’s injury, Rooney said: “Sam will be a few weeks.

Quiz: Have each of these 24 ex-Derby County academy players ever played in the Premier League?

“It is nothing serious but we just need to get to the bottom of it, it has happened now four times with his hamstring so we have to make sure we check him over properly – we check his back, his hamstrings, to really find out why it is happening.”

The Verdict

Baldock will be frustrated by the fact that he is set to miss a number of games due to his issue as he has already been forced to watch on from the sidelines on several occasions this season.

Rooney will be hoping that Colin Kazim-Richards will be able to step up to the mark in Baldock’s absence.

The forward has yet to replicate the performance levels which resulted in him providing 10 direct goal contributions last season as he has yet to score in the Championship during the current campaign despite the fact that he has made 10 appearances at this level for Derby.

Set to face Queens Park Rangers on Monday, the Rams will be determined to seal all three points in-front of their supporters at Pride Park as they aim to build up some momentum heading into the Christmas period.