Former Derby County midfielder Rory Delap has suggested his old side have missed an important duo.
Former Derby County midfielder Rory Delap has suggested to the Derby Telegraph the two players he feels the Rams have missed more than anyone else.
Derby are well placed in the hunt for an automatic promotion place by the end of the season, but Delap has suggested that absences for George Thorne and John Eustace have hurt the side.
“I think they’ve missed Thorne and Eustace in that sitting position. Not just because they break the play up but I think they run the team a bit with their communication and organisation,” said Delap.
“But you can’t just rely on them. You need people to step in and fill that void.”
Thorne has been fighting his way back to full fitness and is a contender to feature in the match against Norwich this weekend.
However, manager Steve McClaren needs to counter the temptation to throw him into the game with some common sense because it would be devastating for the player if a problem reoccurred.
Eustace is another long term absentee who provides solid experience and reliability in front of the back four.
That experience would be crucial in the club’s current situation; a tense fight for an important aim, after a blip in results.
Derby have plenty of talent with the likes of Will Hughes, Tom Ince and Jesse Lingard who can all fill in across the middle of the team, but that trio lacks the defensive discipline which someone like Eustace would provide.
Thorne can definitely play a part over the rest of the campaign and it will be interesting to see how McClaren brings him back into the team.
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