Derby County boss Paul Warne has said Conor Hourihane ‘should be fit’ to return this week.
Derby County are back in League One action on Tuesday night with an away trip to Blackpool. They then head to Cheltenham Town on Saturday.
Hourihane, 32, has been out of action for the last three games in all competitions. However, he is close to a return.
Warne has provided this update on his situation, as per DerbyshireLive: “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 (Max Bird) 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.”
Derby boost
Having Hourihane back will be a big boost for Derby. He injects more quality and experience into their side when he plays.
The Rams swooped to sign him last year following their relegation from the Championship. He became a free agent after cutting ties with Aston Villa and decided to drop into the third tier in a move that raised a few eyebrows.
Hourihane has since made 59 appearances in all competitions during his time at Pride Park. The Republic of Ireland international has chipped in with nine goals, two of which have come this term.
He has also been on the books at Sunderland, Ipswich Town, Plymouth Argyle, Barnsley, Swansea City and Sheffield United in the past, playing just under 550 games in his career.
Derby drew 0-0 at home to Cambridge United over the weekend and weren’t able to break down the U’s. They are 12th in the table and are unbeaten in their last three league outings.
