Derby County have been handed a boost after learning that one of their first-team stars is set to return to action for tomorrow night’s game vs Blackpool in League One.
How have Derby started the season?
At Pride Park, Paul Warne’s side have had a mixed start to the new campaign having secured four wins, two draws and suffered three defeats from their opening nine matches, so having taken 14 points from a possible 27, they find themselves 12th in the table, as displayed by Sky Sports.
The Rams manager currently has Liam Thompson, Joe Ward and Elliot Embleton all on the sidelines through injury, with the latter having returned to his parent club Sunderland to undergo his recovery, and he’s also since confirmed that Callum Elder will be out for two to three weeks having had keyhole surgery on his hernia.
The Midlands outfit have additionally been without the services of Conor Hourihane in recent weeks having sustained a hamstring problem during the 1-1 encounter against Portsmouth last month, but the boss has now delivered a positive update on the fitness of the central midfielder from the Republic of Ireland.
Is Conor Hourihane injured?
Speaking after Saturday’s 0-0 draw against Cambridge United, Warne confirmed that Hourihane should be available vs Blackpool having stepped up his training. As quoted by The Derby Telegraph, he said:
“He should be fit. He's trained today (Saturday) and Friday. He's ticked all of the boxes and I am told he is going to train with the group on Monday. But as it is with Birdy and everybody else who has had an injury, they have to try to get back into the team.
"It will be nice to have him back and his set-piece delivery as well. We go into two away games that we have got to go and try to grab points in.”
How old is Conor Hourihane?
Despite Hourihane being 32 years of age, he’s firmly established himself as Warne’s overall best-performing player so far this season with a WhoScored match rating of 7.31, therefore, it will be a huge boost that he is available once again for Derby.
The Bandon native, who pockets £12k-per-week, has posted four involvements (two goals and the same number of assists) in seven third-tier outings this term, and his prolific form in the final third isn’t the only positive attribute that he brings to the starting line-up.
The Momentum Sports Management client is a versatile operator having been deployed in seven different positions since the start of his career, including everywhere across the midfield, at left-back and even out wide on the left wing, which allows the manager to be a lot more flexible in his formation and team selection.
According to journalist Josh Bunting, Hourihane is a “quality” veteran, and of course being the club’s captain, the excellent leadership that he brings to the centre of the field is another reason why his return to the pitch will be a major lift at Pride Park.