"It's not like it is Ebou County FC" - Paul Warne reacts to Ebou Adams, Derby County news pre-Leeds United | OneFootball

Ebou Adams will miss Derby County's next match against Leeds United through suspension

Derby County manager Paul Warne has eased fears about the absence of Ebou Adams, who will miss Saturday's daunting trip to face Leeds United through suspension.

After starring on loan during the second half of the 2023/24 campaign as Derby clinched promotion from League One at the second time of asking, Adams returned to the club on a permanent basis from Cardiff City.

His arrival was hotly-anticipated as Derby fought tooth and nail to get the deal over the line, and the Gambia international midfielder has impressed back in the Championship.

He has featured in each of the Rams' 18 league fixtures to date but will be absent from the next one, which arguably represents their stiffest test to date. Derby, who are winless in four and have lost their last two home games consecutively, will make the daunting trip up to Elland Road on Saturday.

After losing by two goals to one successively at Pride Park against Swansea City and Sheffield Wednesday, the Rams will undoubtedly be fearing a Leeds side firmly within the promotion reckoning and with just one defeat on home soil all season.

Paul Warne's verdict on Ebou Adams' suspension for Derby County's Leeds United trip

They'll have to face the Whites without the services of Adams, who will miss the clash through suspension after picking up five yellow cards, which incurs an automatic one-game suspension.

Adams opened the scoring in the eventual defeat to the Owls yesterday afternoon but received a booking close to the interval after a challenge on Shea Charles, which will see him miss the trip to West Yorkshire.

Adams' absence is even more of a blow for Derby given the uncertainty on the availability of Crystal Palace loanee David Ozoh, who is working his way back to full fitness after a lengthy spell on the sidelines courtesy of a quad muscle problem.

Despite Adams' importance under Warne, the former Rotherham United boss revealed a rather relaxed verdict on life without the midfielder for the match at Leeds.

Warne admitted he's not going to lose sleep over Adams' absence, which will open the door for somebody else to come in and potentially prove their worth in midfield.

Warne said, via DerbyshireLive: "It is what it is. I am not going to lose sleep over it because it was going to happen sooner or later. It's an opportunity for somebody else.

"It's not like it is Ebou County FC and nobody else can play there.

"He's been good for us and obviously you want all your players available but the way he plays, and it's on the edge, we have to accept that. He is a big part of what we try to do. I thought Ben Osborn and Liam Thompson were great [against Sheffield Wednesday].

"We've got Kenzo Goudmijn and David Ozoh to come back although whether it will be in time for Leeds, I don't know. You don't want to lose players through suspension, but we lost Eiran Cashin through a ban and we still managed to breathe and walk. Hopefully, we will still be able to do that."

Derby County will miss Ebou Adams at Leeds United

While a one-match suspension did feel eventually inevitable for a midfielder with Adams' tenacity and aggression out of possession, it's a real blow that they've now lost him ahead of perhaps their toughest game of the season.

Elland Road is always an incredibly difficult place to visit in the Championship and it's likely the Rams will be pinned back for much of the contest against a team who are huge favourites and will want to dominate the ball in all areas of the pitch at home, so they could've really benefitted from having a player of Adams' skillset in the middle of the park.

The former Forest Green Rovers and Cardiff man is an excellent ball-winner in a deep midfield role, using his energy and tenacity to regain possession and break up play, which are crucial qualities when you consider that Warne is very likely to deploy a low block against the Whites.

While there may just be a few midfield counterparts in his squad champing at the bit to receive a potential opportunity, Derby are worse off from his absence and it does feel rather untimely.