Derby County tipped to "really struggle" amid Carlton Morris blow - John Eustace may have a huge issue | OneFootball

FLW's Rams Fan Pundit thinks John Eustace will face a huge challenge if he's without Carlton Morris for long

This article is part of Football League World's 'Terrace Talk' series, which provides personal opinions from our FLW Fan Pundits regarding the latest breaking news, teams, players, managers, potential signings and more…

Derby County talisman Carlton Morris suffered a potentially serious knee injury this past weekend against Watford, and there is a fear that John Eustace's side may not be able to cope if he's on the sidelines for an extended period.

The 29-year-old went down afetr just 18 minutes into Saturday’s game against Watford - and the Hornets’ comeback from two goals down ultimately highlighted the impact of the Rams missing their number nine.

Although the extent of the injury is still unconfirmed, manager John Eustace told BBC Radio Derby after the defeat that it looked to be a bad one for Morris, who has already scored 10 Championship goals this season.

The East Midlands outfit do have the likes of Andreas Weimann, Patrick Agyemang and Lars-Jørgen Salvesen, who can all play as the central striker, but FLW have been told they don't offer the same qualities as Morris.

Derby County had no "threat through the middle" without Carlton Morris against Watford

FLW’s Derby County Fan Pundit, Shaun Woodward, not only spoke about why Morris’ premature exit proved so damaging against Watford, but why the Rams can’t be without the former Luton Town man for long.

"I don't think we can underestimate the impact Carlton Morris has had on Derby since he's arrived," Woodward explained, hinting that the striker's contribution extends far beyond his impressive goal tally.

With 10 Championship goals from 15 appearances - now 16 after the weekend - Morris still sits joint-first as the Championship’s top scorer, along with Coventry City’s Brandon Thomas-Asante.

"It's not just his goals, which have been unbelievable and have got us probably three quarters of our points, it's his leadership, his professionalism, his strength in both boxes - he brings out the best in other players around him," Woodward noted.

The difference Morris' absence made was clear to see on Saturday, despite Derby going 2-0 up without him. Dion Sanderson and Sondre Langås scored their first goals as Derby players to get them in the lead - but they’re both centre-backs.

Without Morris leading the line, Derby ended up falling apart.

"It showed when he came off, we just didn't look like we had that threat through the middle, Agyemang didn't look the same player, so it was quite worrying really," Woodward reflected.

Most Derby fans perhaps would've imagined Lars-Jørgen Salvesen to be a like-for-like replacement for Morris, but Andreas Weimann was brought on instead to play alongside Agyemang - and it didn't work.

"To let that 2-0 lead slip, I just couldn’t see that happening with Morris on the pitch."

John Eustace will face "a lot of questions" when trying to replace Carlton Morris

With Morris facing an uncertain recovery timeline at this point, Eustace faces a huge challenge in trying to get by without him. After all, he has previously said how lucky the Rams are to have him.

Agyemang, despite his qualities, clearly struggled in a central role on Saturday, and he looked unsure of what to do without the presence that Morris commands after partnering him up top for a number of weeks.

"I don’t know what the option is - you’ve got Salvesen who could potentially play through the middle as Agyemang didn’t look like he’s ready for that role," Woodward continued.

"So, a lot of questions for Eustace and praying that it’s not a long-term injury because I think we’d really struggle without him (Morris)."

There's no denying that Derby's upturn in form has been built largely on two things - Langås coming back from injury and Morris' ability to consistently deliver. Now the latter will probably be out of action for a while, the other forwards may need to take more responsibility.

Eustace's side now sit 12th on 23 points - a win against the Hornets would've seen them enter the playoffs.

Woodward concluded by saying, "Like I said, it's everything that Morris brings to the team. We've coped without a few of the injured players, but I don't think we can cope without Morris long-term.

"Fingers crossed his scan goes well."