Derby County set to be handed huge double boost - it involves £5.8m striker Patrick Agyemang | OneFootball

Derby County are set to welcome back two key players to training

Derby County are set to welcome back two key players to training who would give the East Midlands outfit a huge boost in their attack in the form of Lars-Jorgen Salvesen and Patrick Agyemang.

The Rams have struggled to field their 'strongest' line-up so far this season due to a lot of injury concerns that have plagued the start of their 2025/26 campaign.

Only three of their 10 new signings started Derby's second league game of the season, which ended in a 5-3 home defeat to Frank Lampard's Coventry City.

Two of those players - Danny Batth and Dion Sanderson - are centre-backs and were a big part of the five goals leaked, whereas the only new forward addition to start was Carlton Morris, who has scored two goals in as many Championship games.

Patrick Agyemang and Lars-Jorgen Salvesen set for return in big Derby County boost

Both £5.8 million summer signing Patrick Agyemang and Norwegian forward Lars-Jørgen Salvesen are expected to return to training "in the next week or so", as per BBC Radio Derby's Dominic Dietrich.

Agyemang is the most-expensive player of the David Clowes era, and has been sidelined since his arrival due to hernia surgery after playing for USA in the Gold Cup.

The forward had been playing through discomfort for most of the 2025 MLS season before his move to Pride Park, with all parties agreeing that surgery was the best option for his long-term prospects.

Meanwhile, Salvesen is finally nearing a return from the knee injury that prematurely ended his 2024/25 campaign.

Arriving from Viking FK for around £800,000 in January, the Scandinavian forward suffered a ligament tear during training in March - Eustace mentioned the striker was "devastated", but he's closing in on his return.

Salvesen & Agyemang returns are much-needed for Derby County and John Eustace

The potential return of both strikers - which Dietrich had to clarify was to training and not to matches - could not come at a better time for Derby.

The East Midlands outfit have relied heavily on Carlton Morris in attack during the early weeks of this season, and he has scored two goals in two league games.

29-year-old Salvesen was top scorer for Viking with 17 goals in all competitions during their 2024 season - and his brief appearances for Derby before the injury showed glimpses of what he can bring to England.

Agyemang is Derby's fourth-most expensive player of all time, based off the initial £5.8m fee, and his signing was seen as a big statement of intent for this season.

It was reported that Championship rivals Ipswich Town were also working on a deal to sign him, so Derby winning the battle was a real coup.

Whilst it will still take the pair time to get up to speed and match-fit, Rams fans now know support for Carlton Morris is getting ready, so their season may finally start getting going sooner rather than later.