Derby County defender James Chester’s injury doesn’t look “overly promising”, according to manager Paul Warne.
What's the latest injury news on Chester?
The Rams defender first arrived at Pride Park when he joined on a free transfer from Stoke City in July 2022, but since that time, he’s only made seven appearances all season having been severely hampered by injuries.
The League One veteran sustained a serious calf injury back in October which kept him on the sidelines for a significant amount of time and he’s since suffered a fresh setback that’s believed to be related to his previous problem. Warne’s centre-back was forced off the pitch during the 2-0 victory over Forest Green Rovers earlier this month after complaining of tightness in his calf, the same location that he formerly had issues with, and the following update from the manager doesn’t sound positive.
Speaking during his pre-match press conference for Derby’s game vs Exeter, Warne was asked for news on Chester and specifically whether he was going to miss the remainder of the season. As quoted by Derbyshire Live, he said:
"I haven't had that confirmed to me but I do not think it looks overly promising unfortunately. I won't be saying that until somebody says that to me."
Is Chester being absent a blow for Derby?
Chester might have only played seven times for Derby but he’s been Warne’s top-performing defensive and second overall best player with a match rating of 7.30, which shows the impact he has on the pitch, so it’ll definitely be a massive blow for the boss to not have him available.
The 34-year-old was averaging 4.4 aerial wins, 3.9 clearances and 3.7 tackles per third-tier game prior to his absence, via WhoScored, highlighting the rock he can be at the heart of the backline, form which has seen him hailed a “solid” player by journalist Josh Bunting.
Whilst the £6.1k-per-week veteran has operated in his natural centre-back role for all outings in the Midlands, he does provide the boss with some versatility having played at left-back, right-back and slightly higher up in defensive midfield since the start of his career.
The Rams find themselves just one point outside the play-off places coming into tonight’s game and Chester returning to the side would only increase their chances of pushing for promotion, but whether he will be in action again before the end of the season remains to be seen.
