Football League World
·15 November 2022
Football League World
·15 November 2022
Derby County first team coach Matt Hamshaw has revealed that Jason Knight will be unavailable for selection for the club’s upcoming clashes with Torquay United and Portsmouth as he continues to recover from injury.
The midfielder could be in line to make his return to action following the Rams’ clash with Portsmouth which is set to take place on Friday.
Despite sustaining an issue with his ankle ahead of Derby’s defeat to Liverpool in the EFL Cup, Knight went on to make a cameo appearance in this particular fixture.
Having been eliminated from this aforementioned competition on penalties by Jurgen Klopp’s side, the Rams will be hoping to progress to the second round of the FA Cup this evening when they host Torquay at Pride Park.
Derby were seemingly set to secure a victory over their National League opponents in the initial meeting between the two sides after Will Osula’s brace gave them a two-goal lead.
However, Torquay earned a replay thanks to efforts from Asa Hall and Will Goodwin.
Ahead of tonight’s clash, Hamshaw has issued an update on Knight.
Speaking to the Derby Telegraph about the midfielder, Hamshaw said: “He’s (Knight) all right, but he won’t come into contention this week, but fingers crossed we are hoping to have him back after Portsmouth.
“We had good news regarding his scan.
“The problem with Knighty is he thinks he should have been back yesterday.
“It’s a great trait to have but at the same extent, we probably have to pull him back a little bit.
“When you take a dog out for a walk and he just wants to get off his lead that is literally what he is like at the minute.
“You don’t want to knock that out of him, but at the same time, you don’t want to risk him and lose him for six weeks.
“That is something we are taking into consideration.”
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The Verdict
This is a sensible approach to take regarding Knight’s current situation as Derby cannot really afford to risk rushing him back into action as this could lead to another injury setback.
Providing that Derby are able to beat Torquay tonight, they will face Newport County in the second round.
ITV have selected to broadcast this fixture which will take place on November 27th.
When he is fit enough to feature again, Knight will be determined to help Derby launch a push for a top-six finish in League One.
The Republic of Ireland international has made 18 appearances in all competitions this season and will be confident in his ability to make a difference in the third-tier over the course of the coming months.