Derby County have been given a huge boost ahead of their game against fellow strugglers Cardiff City in the Sky Bet Championship on Saturday.
The Rams are going into the game with the hope of ending a run of five successive defeats, and to steer clear of the relegation zone. Paul Warne’s men sit in 21st, with one point separating them from both the bottom three and this weekend’s opponents.
Now a fitness update from Bluebirds boss Omer Riza is welcome news for the East Midlands side. It concerns their Welsh midfield maestro, Aaron Ramsey.
The injury-plagued 34-year-old has struggled for consistency since he returned to South Wales. He has only played four times this season thanks to a hamstring injury that has sidelined him since September.
Riza, when speaking to the media, confirmed Ramsey returned to training this week, but the Derby game is too soon: “It’s brilliant for Aaron. He’s had a few upsets in respect of his injuries, so it’s nice to see him back on the pitch training, even a little bit earlier than I thought.
“Everyone knows what Aaron has done in his career, how much the club means to him and the experiences that he’s got. It’s nice for the players and the staff to have him back out there, I’m sure he’ll start to do more and more to get him back to playing.”
Ramsey will “not be rushed” for a return as he is yet to complete a full training session. He will regain some fitness by playing for the U21s, and only then, if he comes through it okay, will he be reintroduced.
“It’s important that we don’t rush him,” added Riza, “Although he’s an important player and we want him back, he’s had a couple of issues in the past and we just need to make sure that doesn’t happen again.”
Cardiff City have struggled without him so far this season, but they have enjoyed a bit of a resurgence as of late. They are unbeaten in seven games, including the 3-0 hammering of local rivals Swansea City last week.
So it will be a difficult game for Derby, who are finding themselves in a bit of an injury crisis themselves. Two more players pulled up during their 1-0 defeat to Sunderland at Pride Park on Tuesday.
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