Derby County’s Duane Holmes was absent for the visit of Bolton Wanderers.
Derby County manager Frank Lampard says Duane Holmes missed the visit of Bolton Wanderers as he has a small quad injury and could be ruled out of action for up to three weeks, Derby Telegraph report.
“After Brentford, he was struggling a bit with fatigue, hence why he didn’t start at Blackburn and now he has a small injury to his quad,” Lampard explained.
“It is one to look at day by day. I hope it is more a week than two to three weeks, but it could be anywhere in between that.”
Holmes joined Derby from Scunthorpe United in the summer for a reported £700,000 fee.
The 24-year-old has been a bargain for the Rams and has offered plenty of versatility with performances on the wing, in central midfield and even at right-back in the absence of Jayden Bogle.
But Holmes’ better performances have come at central midfield, with the player really stepping up and becoming a key figure in the middle of the park during Mason Mount’s ten-game injury layoff.
The talented American has a low sense of gravity with the ball at his feet. He can glide past players with pace and trickery, while his vision, passing ability and end product is improving all the time.
Holmes’ absence against struggling Bolton Wanderers on Saturday wasn’t felt as a dynamic display saw the Rams crush the visitors 4-0 with fellow midfielder Mason Mount netting an excellent hat-trick.
But upcoming Easter games against Birmingham City and Queens Park Rangers will provide a sterner test, and Derby will be desperate to have Holmes back fit and available for selection.
The Rams haven’t won a single away league game in 2019 and with three of their remaining five games on the road, they must put that right if they harbour any hopes of securing a playoff spot come next month.
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