Derby County interim manager Wayne Rooney has paid tribute to Colin Kazim -Richards for his performance in the Rams' 1-1 draw with Wycombe on Saturday, but says he will have to assess the striker's availability ahead of Tuesday's match with Coventry.

Having joined the Rams on a one-year deal back in the summer, Kazim-Richards was handed his first start for Derby by Rooney on Saturday afternoon.

The 34-year-old responded by producing an impressive performance, which included setting up Duane Holmes to open scoring, and Rooney clearly likes what he saw from the veteran striker, both on and off the pitch.

Speaking about Kazim-Richards after the game, Rooney was quoted by Derbyshire Live as saying: "I thought he (Kazim-Richards) was fantastic for us, he was a presence up there, he held the ball up well, linked play well.

"He ran out of steam a bit at the end, which is understandable, he hasn't played for a long time. He was left out of the squad for the Bristol City game and his reaction was fantastic. He has trained really well and deservedly started.

"He has shown a great attitude, great hunger and desire. He was on the bench at Middlesbrough, and came on, and I think he deserved to start today (Saturday)."

However, with Kazim-Richards having not played much football recently, it seems Rooney will want to make sure the Turkey international is match fit before committing to using him in midweek. Assessing how the striker coped with his recent lack of match practice on Saturday, the interim Derby boss went on to add: "For someone who hadn't started a game for a very long time, I thought it was a very good performance. We will just have to assess how he is in the next couple of days as to his availability for Tuesday."
The Verdict
This does feel like a very welcome boost for Derby that Kazim-Richards has provided them with.
Given the struggles they have recently endured, it does feel they need someone to step up and drag them out of trouble on the pitch.
This performance from Kazim-Richards may have provided some hope that he can be the man to do that he can be the man to do that, and it is certainly a promising sign if you can impress someone with Rooney's experience and ability.

It

also seems sensible not to commit to using him at Coventry now if there is no guarantee he is going to be match fit, since that could expose him to greater risk of injury, which is the last thing Derby need right now.