Derby County manager Frank Lampard has acknowledged that his team have further injury concerns to worry about with both Craig Bryson and Andy King on the sidelines. Bryson was omitted for the recent league defeat at Nottingham Forest with a foot injury and his absence, King was called upon against Nottingham Forest, only to sustain an ankle problem of his own.

Speaking after the game, Lampard admitted that both midfielders remain sidelined for the next few weeks and this should test the team’s depth, given Mason Mount, Tom Lawrence and Bryson had been pivotal to the success during the first half of the season, he told the Derby Telegraph: “Andy King will be out for at least two weeks, possibly more.

“Bryson will be out for two or three weeks. They are big players for us. With Mason and Tom, and Bryson, they were three mainstays of our team for big parts of the first half of the season. So it is a test for the squad, and it is a test for us all to look at how we get by without them. We haven’t done that in the last three games, and we have to because they are out.”

Derby’s form has dropped over the past month and they are currently winless over the past three league matches where they have managed just one point. Despite this, they remain within two points off six-placed Bristol City after playing an extra game and they still have the chance to push for the playoff promotion before the season concludes.

The Rams have suffered back-to-back league defeats against Millwall and Nottingham Forest but they have the opportunity to put things right when they face Aston Villa on the road this weekend. Similarly to Derby, Villa have gone five matches without a triumph but Derby can expect a tough contest with the west Midlands outfit likewise aiming to make ground on the top six.