Derby County boss Wayne Rooney has told Derbyshire Live that midfielder Jason Knight is making good progress towards returning to full fitness after suffering an ankle injury. 

The Irish international missed a large chunk of the club's pre-season schedule after picking up the injury in training and has been sorely missed by the Rams as they have sought to get some wins under their belts in the league.

Knight is still very much set to remain on the sidelines at Pride Park, however it is anticipated that he will return to action just after the international break at the earliest.

Now Rooney has provided the following update on his player's fitness, as he stated how Knight is getting on with his recovery:

"His rehab is going well, he is improving every day. 

"His attitude to the training he has been doing has been superb. The physios are delighted with him.

"We are looking after the international break to see where he is at. He has missed almost a full pre-season. He is a fit guy anyway, but he will still need that the football training to get back up to speed.

"He is still in the gym, gradually putting a bit more weight on it (the ankle). We will have a better idea towards the end of this week where he is at and then we can put a timescale on it from there.

"He will be a big player for us."

Derby played out a frustrating draw with Middlesbrough at the weekend and slowly seem to be developing more as a unit as the newer members of the squad settle in.

The club's attentions will now be turned towards their midweek Carabao Cup clash against Sheffield United tomorrow evening.

The Verdict

Knight will certainly be a big miss for the Rams over the next few weeks and the club will be hoping that the midfielder can return to action as soon as it is medically possible.

Things are developing well for Rooney and his staff given the circumstances and it will be hoped that they can continue to pick up good results on the road to Knight's return.

The Carabao Cup provides something of a distraction and it will be interesting to see what sort of team they put out against the Blades tomorrow.

Overall things are looking a lot more positive at Pride Park and many people will be hoping that continues into the rest of the year.