Wayne Rooney's worst fears have been realised as Lee Buchanan has been ruled out of Derby County action for the rest of 2021 with a knee injury, per The Athletic.

The 20-year-old has featured in 15 Championship matches this season and started in the 3-2 victory over AFC Bournemouth on Sunday afternoon.

However he was withdrawn in the 90th minute in place of the experienced Craig Forsyth and that's likely to be the last we see of the youngster until the start of 2022.

 

 

 

 

Rooney has put a timescale of Buchanan's setback as six to eight weeks, meaning that he could feasibly return to action in mid-January.

Buchanan is a player that attracted much transfer interest over the summer, with the Rams' bitter rivals Nottingham Forest attempting to snag him away from Pride Park amid the club's financial uncertainty.

The Reds in the end failed in their pursuit of Buchanan by having two bids rejected, instead opting to sign ex-County man Max Lowe on loan from Sheffield United.

Buchanan's setback though may scupper any potential move to Celtic after it was reported last month that the Hoops were keen on a move for the defender in the upcoming January transfer window.

The Verdict

This will be a big blow for Rooney because Buchanan is a player who is clearly on the upward curve.

He won't always perform to a high standard because he's still learning but he's been part of a team that have performed above expectations this season and to lose him with the fixtures coming thick and fast is just bad timing.

Rooney now has a dilemma on how to line-up against Fulham tomorrow evening - Craig Forsyth can come in to bring some more experience but now in his mid-30's the Scot doesn't pose the same attacking threat as he once did.

But he may be a more reliable option to keep Harry Wilson quiet as the alternative is teenager Dylan Williams, who performed admirably against West Brom earlier in the season but this could be a step too far.