Derby will be without midfielder Andy King for the rest of the season after he picked up an ankle injury in the defeat to Nottingham Forest on Monday night.

The former Wales international only arrived at Pride Park in January, signing on loan from Leicester City for the remainder of the campaign.

However, boss Frank Lampard confirmed the bad news when speaking to the club's media ahead of Saturday's game against Aston Villa.

It will be extremely frustrating for the 30-year-old who had moved from the Foxes in search of first-team football after he was frozen out under Claude Puel.

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But, he managed just four games for the Rams, which included two starts, before suffering the setback.

That is more bad news for Lampard who has already lost the experienced Curtis Davies for the rest of the season because of an Achilles injury.

Derby have dropped down to seventh in the league after a poor run of form, with back-to-back defeats against Millwall and Nottingham Forest in their past two games particularly concerning.

The Verdict

This is awful news for King and you have to feel sorry for him as he will have wanted to take this opportunity to play regularly after a tough few years.

Obviously, it's not ideal for Derby either as even though King had only just joined he provided them with an experienced option in midfield.

Lampard does have a few options in that position when everyone is fit and it's down to others to step up now.

Thoughts? Let us know in the comments below.