Derby County midfielder George Thorne is believed to have suffered a suspected broken leg in Saturday’s 1-0 home defeat to Mick McCarthy. The Derby Telegraph understands that the Rams’ key holding midfield player has suffered a fractured right shin.
The incident occurred in the final ten minutes of the clash with the Tractor Boys at the iPro Stadium. Physios instantly burst onto the pitch and called for the stretcher, He needed gas and air as he left the field of play, with the hospital now revealing they fear the worst.
The injury rules Thorne out of their play-off semi-finals clashes with Hull City, any potential play-off final and quite possibly the start of next season as well.
Head Coach Darren Wassall said it was a blow to lose a player of his quality and was particularly disappointed with the actions of the Ipswich Town player involved in the incident as well,
“It is very unfortunate.
“George (Thorne) has been in great form and he is important to us.
“If you see the tackle, I think it is a little bit of a naughty tackle, so I am not very pleased with the tackle.
“Until we know the outcome, we cannot really speculate on the injury but the reaction of the other players was not very good. They thought it was a nasty one.”
With Jamie Hanson already injured it means Wassall lacks a natural holding midfielder within his squad. Chris Baird was recalled from a loan spell at Fulham recently, so he is a contender to fill this void. Will Hughes played in that role in the recent draw with Sheffield Wednesday as well, so he is also another handy option too.
Nevertheless, it is still a major blow for the Rams going into a crucial stage of their season. Defeat to Ipswich on Saturday was a disappointment, but the injury to Thorne outweighs any negative scoreline.
