After Derby Countyâs morale-sapping defeat at the hands of Millwall last night, there has been more bad news issued ahead of Monday nightâs clash with rivals Nottingham Forest.
Frank Lampard confirmed that Mason Mount is unlikely to be fit for the visit to the City Ground having missed the last five matches through injury.
The Chelsea loanee suffered a hamstring injury in the FA Cup tie against Accrington Stanley last month and will need more time out to recover.
Mount partly trained ahead of the Millwall game but was not risked, and now it seems as if the 20-year-old will struggle to make one of Derbyâs most important fixtures of the season.
Lampard confirmed the news via the Ramsâ official Twitter page when speaking in defeat after the match against the Championship strugglers.
If he does indeed miss the trip to Forest, it will be a sixth successive game out for the young loanee with Derbyâs form just starting to dip below what is required.
The verdict
This is another blow for Derby who are slowly seeing the wheels come off their season.
Mount has been an important part of the squad, and without him, they have looked a different proposition.
His influence affects the players around him and without the Chelsea loanee in the side, there is a different dynamic to the style of play that the Rams produce.
Mount missing the Forest game is a massive blow, and it could hand their hosts on Monday the slimmest of advantages.