Derby County striker Lars-Jorgen Salvesen has undergone surgery on a knee injury that has ruled him out for the rest of the season, and midfielder Ben Osborn may also miss the remainder of the campaign.
Norwegian Salvesen was hurt in training on Tuesday and missed Saturday’s 2-1 win against Blackburn Rovers which lifted the Rams off the bottom of the table.
Meanwhile, Osborn has been ruled out for up to eight weeks with a hamstring injury, and Ryan Nyambe is also said to be out for “a couple of weeks” for a similar reason.
A hamstring problem also kept forward Kemar Roofe out of Saturday’s game.
Derby boss John Eustace said the injuries forced him to repeatedly change the game plan for Blackburn’s visit and the situation will demand a lot of his squad as they prepare to face Coventry City on Tuesday.
“It’s disappointing, but we will make sure the group is ready,” he said in the post-match press conference.
“They will roll their sleeves up and give their best again on Tuesday.”
Eustace added that Salvesen is “devastated” that his campaign is over, having only joined Derby from Norwegian side Viking in January.
Sondre Langas, another winter transfer arrival from Viking, was also forced off before the hour mark of Saturday’s win.
“You have to remember that those two players finished their season (with Viking) in December, so they are actually in pre-season now,” Eustace said.
“They have played four or five games so are not match fit. So unfortunately this is going to happen, they are going to break down. It is what it is, and we are where we are.”
