Derby County tease huge player boost as they look to overhaul Southampton & Wrexham | OneFootball

Derby County have teased a huge player boost on the horizon as they bid to overtake Southampton and Wrexham to a top-six spot

The race to reach the EFL Championship play-offs is intensifying as we head towards the twilight of the 2025/26 campaign, with a number of sides battling it out to secure a top-six berth.

There are now just seven games to spare before the regular season slams shut on May 2, and a dramatic finale is firmly in store at both ends of the second-tier table.

Two of Middlesbrough, Ipswich Town and Millwall appear to have sealed their spots in the top-six, with one of those clubs sure to be joining title-bound Coventry City in the Premier League come August, while Hull City and Southampton are currently occupying fifth and sixth place respectively and will be desperately fighting to retain their positions as the season draws to a close.

They will, however, face no shortage of competition in doing so. Wrexham are situated in seventh and only find themselves behind Tonda Eckert's side on goal difference while Derby County, who have won four of their last five outings ahead of the upcoming Good Friday trip to Coventry, are separated from the Saints by two places and just three points.

Derby are one of the Championship's premiere form sides at the minute and will fancy their chances of a late surge into the top-six, where they have not finished since reaching the play-off final under Frank Lampard in 2019. The Rams could just be rocked, then, by an impending player boost which may threaten the top-six aspirations of either Southampton or Wrexham at this term's late stage.

Derby County reveal Sondre Langas boost amid Wrexham, Southampton pursuit

The player in question is Sondre Langas, who has recently returned to training following an injury lay-off which has kept the defender sidelined since January.

Langas suffered what Derby boss John Eustace described as a "big tear" to his hamstring during the Rams' 1-1 draw with West Bromwich Albion on January 23, with the 25-year-old having been projected to return to action after the current March international break.

He's now on track to do exactly that, and Derby showcased footage of the star being put through his paces in a training session on Wednesday afternoon.

Langas, a hugely-popular figure at Pride Park following his arrival from Norweigan outfit Viking in February of last year as a replacement for Eiran Cashin, appeared to be in good spirits and looked sharp as he closes in on a return to action at such a crucial stage for Eustace's side.

The two-cap Norway international has endured a number of injury setbacks during his time in the East Midlands, which kept him out at the start of the season and have meant that he has made just 19 Championship appearances in the current campaign.

Langas, however, has proven himself to be a crucial and commanding component of Derby's backine when fully fit, and given how sorely the Norweigan's absence has been felt at different stages this season, his impending return presents a considerable boost to the Rams and a potential threat to the designs that Wrexham and Southampton will have on beating County to a top-six spot.

Derby County's end-of-season run-in

Although Derby have momentum and are showcasing the requisite form to complete a late-season surge into the play-offs, there's no denying that Eustace will be tasked with overseeing a daunting end-of-season run in which will ask serious questions of the squad at his disposal.

As aforementioned, Derby will return to action with a trip to league leaders Coventry this Friday, and while they will fancy their chances at home against Stoke City on Easter Monday, another tough test awaits the following weekend when they travel down to face Southampton in a crunch showdown that could go some way to deciding the final make-up of the top-six.

After that, it's a return to Pride Park to face relegation-threatened Oxford United, who will be fighting for their lives under Matt Bloomfield, before heading on the road once more to face an in-form Norwich City and Julien Stephan's QPR.

Then, on the final day of the season, Derby are at home to a Sheffield United side which may be on the beach by this stage but possesses undoubted quality, and although Langas' return to action offers a significant boost, the Rams need to be on the top of their game and hope that the defender can swiftly rediscover his rhythm.