Following their loss to Charlton Athletic, Derby County manager Paul Warne revealed a highly concerning injury report on striker Conor Washington.
Derby County lost 2-1 to struggling Charlton and then wasted a lead for the second game in three days.
With a strong header, Eiran Cashin gave the home team the lead, but it was quickly erased when Joe Wildsmith gave away an unnecessary penalty that Alfie May converted from to give the visitors a chance to tie the score.
After Wildsmith rejected Daniel Kanu, Karoy Anderson finished the reversal by slapping in the follow-up.
After the Rams fell short of a winning position in this calendar year by a total of 11 points, Paul Warne felt eventually let down by the way this game was played.
That should worry everyone in the division, even those who aren’t battling for automatic promotion.
Conor Washington, the striker, might miss the rest of the campaign, according to Warne, who also disclosed that the Pride Park performance was not the only unpleasant news.
Conor Washington could miss the rest of the campaign
Since coming to Derby in the summer, Washington’s injury difficulties have mirrored Warne’s struggles this season at the striker position.
Tyreece John-Jules, an Arsenal loanee, and leading scorer James Collins have joined Washington on the injured table, despite Martyn Waghorn coming back to the bench against Charlton.
The £6,000-per-week star has been out of action since November due to ankle ligament damage sustained while playing for Northern Ireland at the international level.
Even though he has been playing grass again, the knee injury he sustained at Rotherham has returned, possibly sidelining him for the rest of the season.
Warne, who gave a report on Washington’s development following the defeat to Charlton, said as much.
“Wash is struggling, that’s the truth. I don’t know if we’ll see him by the end of the season,” he remarked in an interview with the Rams Daily Podcast. I really hope we do, but it is disheartening to see him having knee problems.
Warne has been unfortunate with injuries
Warne cannot attribute Derby’s poor performances only to injury, even though those factors have contributed.
In particular, Collins’ injury has affected the Rams in recent games since they have lost their focal point and key player up top, while Waghorn’s extended absence from the pitch was a major loss.
Naturally, Dwight Gayle was brought in to cover for Collins, but he already has a lot on his plate trying to perform at Collins’ calibre.
Furthermore, he can only take in the goals that the attacking players are giving him, even though he is more than capable of scoring the goals needed in his absence.
Sadly, they did not give Gayle enough possession of the ball yesterday night, and going ahead, that needs to alter.
Regarding Washington, he participated in 14 games for Derby, contributing two assists and three goals. His injury over the previous three months has been a major setback for Warne.
The 31-year-old has had a rough time dealing with injuries at Pride Park thus far; let’s just hope he heals quickly.
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