Derby County have been handed a huge boost ahead of their trip to Millwall on October 19, with a number of the club’s currently injured players expected to be back or close to fitness for the match at The Den.
The Rams have had eight players either out injured or working their way back to fitness in recent weeks, including experienced figures like Ben Osborn and Tom Barkhuizen.
Fortunately for manager Paul Warne, both of those players could now be fit for the game against Millwall, according to The Derby Telegraph. Indeed, Osborn and Barkhuizen are just two of four expected to return to training during this international break, with Liam Thompson and David Ozoh also on the brink of returns, although the latter is not expected to be fully fit in time for Millwall.
Warne will be hoping the return of the other three players can help turn the tide on his side’s poor away form. The Rams have lost all four of their away games in the Championship this term, conceding nine goals in the process.
Best yet to come from Ozoh
One man who might not be fit in time for Derby’s clash with Millwall is Ozoh. The Crystal Palace loanee was forced off in the second half of the Rams’ 1-0 win over Cardiff City on September 14 with a hamstring problem and has not featured since.
According to the Derby Telegraph, the midfielder will train next week but the “Millwall game might come too soon for him”. On Wednesday, Ozoh shared a couple of snaps of himself back on the training pitch with Warne to his Instagram story, captioning the pictures: “Step by step.”
Ozoh, 19, joined Derby on loan from Palace in the summer after having made 12 appearances for the Premier League outfit last season. Though he hadn’t played much for Rams before he succumbed to injury, the young midfielder turned heads with his performances.
Among those to have praised Ozoh is former Ram Shaun Barker, who made over 100 appearances for Derby between 2009 and 2015.
Speaking with Rams TV after Derby’s 3-0 win over Bristol City at the end of August, in which Ozoh was on the scoresheet, Barker said: “As soon as they got the structure I thought he grew into the game. If you gave him another three or four minutes for choosing the player of the match he might have got it.
“He was that good in the last 5-10 minutes, he seemed to be more commanding, making more tackles didn’t lose the ball, drove forward got his goal. What a player he is going to be for Derby this year.”
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Warne has also been extremely complimentary of Ozoh. Shortly after he joined the club back in July, Warne said of the midfielder, via The Derby Telegraph: “He keeps the ball moving and he is a really athletic and tenacious player. He breaks play up and gets us on attacks quick.
“He’s a really humble, down to earth kid who is going to use this loan to develop as a man and as a player.”
