Derby County midfielder Krystian Bielik looks set for a lengthy spell on the sidelines after picking up an injury for the under 23s on Monday night.

The 22-year-old signed for Derby from Arsenal in a deal worth £9.5m in the summer, and has since become an important player under Phillip Cocu.

The versatile midfielder, who has also stepped into defence for Cocu's men, has made a total of 21 appearances in all competitions for the Rams this season.

The Poland international featured for the Rams' under-23 side on Monday night, as he looked to make a return to the first-team after picking up a red card against Charlton in December.

But in a bid to get back up to match sharpness, via Derbyshire Live, the midfielder was stretchered off after only 17 minutes against Spurs at Loughborough University.

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It looks to be a suspected knee injury for Bielik, who is now obviously doubtful for the Rams' upcoming weekend clash with Hull City on Saturday afternoon.

Cocu's side sit 17th in the Championship, eight points off the play-off places.

The Verdict

This is a big, big blow for Derby County as they look to turn their underwhelming season around.

Bielik has left a massive hole in holding midfielder since being suspended for the last three games, with Wayne Rooney having to fill in for the former Arsenal man.

But his injury doesn't look good by any means, and it looks as if Derby County could be without him for quite a long time, it seems.

That's the problem with playing players in not very important games like the under-23's fixtures, you're running the risk of them getting injured.