Paul Warne prediction leaves Derby County with Norwich City problem: View

Paul Warne prediction leaves Derby County with the Norwich City problem: View.

Even if the outcome of Derby County’s 1-0 loss to Sheffield United on Saturday afternoon may not have surprised many, the game’s aftermath may have negative effects in the upcoming days and weeks.

Eight minutes after the break, Gustavo Hamer’s incredible free kick smashed past Jacob Widell Zetterstrom to defeat the Rams in a game when Derby frequently had to depend on their Swedish keeper.

However, Callum Elder’s injury, which has left staff and fans alike unsure of how long the Australian could be sidelined, has generated the greatest concern.

The 29-year-old has had a fantastic start to the current season after battling ailments throughout the previous one. Despite making just 22 appearances in League One in 2023–24, he has established himself at the position.

Elder is not stranger to groin problems; he returned for a brief cameo on the last day of Derby’s promotion season after missing five of the previous six games with a similar injury.

Paul Warne predicts Elder will be missing for a while

Paul Warne does not need another issue, and even though nothing has been proven as of yet, the indicators are not good and the Rams are already dealing with injuries.

The full-back, who had been waiting to come off after informing the bench that his groyne was tight, had already suffered harm when Elder went down following a foul late in the second half, for which he was booked.

After the game, Warne shared his opinions on the Australian’s injuries.

The former Rotherham United manager said, “His groin is tight; when the lad chopped him up when they had a penalty claim, I think he felt it, and then he waved to the bench, so obviously, we tried to make the sub as soon as we could,” in an interview with RamsTV, Derby’s in-house media.

However, I shook his hand as he passed and said, “You alright?” to which he responded, sort of, with a “no.” By the way the boys respond, I can tell. That was a no that indicated he had made some tweaks. There are various types of no.

So, regrettably, there’s another one that we might not see for a while.

Warne must decide who replaces Elder

The choice of Elder’s replacement in the event that he is absent for an extended length of time now presents a serious dilemma for Warne.

The most likely replacement is Craig Forysth, 35, but he hasn’t started a game for the Rams since March and hasn’t filled out a full 90 minutes at left-back since Boxing Day 2023.

Warne might be reluctant to start Forsyth because of concerns about any possible fitness issues and might want to switch up his formation.

Against Norwich City on Saturday, who come into the game fresh off a fantastic 4-1 victory over Watford, Ben Osborn can fill in at wingback, which may mean Nat Phillips is brought in to complete a three-center-back defence.

The extent of Elder’s injury won’t become clear until the next few days, but Warne and his defence are in for a trying few weeks.

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