Fresh Derby County reaction given to Rhian Brewster situation - "It is concerning, but.." | OneFootball

Rhian Brewster has been backed to come good at Derby County despite enduring a tough start at his new club with injuries restricting his impact.

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 have been told to be patient with Rhian Brewster as the forward steps up his return from injury following a difficult start to life at Pride Park.

The 25-year-old was a free agent in the summer when his deal with Sheffield United expired, and he ultimately ended up joining the Rams on a two-year contract.

However, things haven’t gone to plan for Brewster since, as he missed a few games earlier in the campaign with an injury issue, and he hasn’t played for a month due to a hamstring complaint.

Rhian Brewster backed to come good at Derby County

Pleasingly for the player and the club, he is closing in on a return from the latest problem, with John Eustace revealing Brewster is now back training, so he should be in contention to feature in the next week or two.

That will be very welcome for Derby, as they are short on options in the final third right now, as the influential Carlton Morris could miss the next three months.

Whilst Eustace still has Lars-Jorgen Salvesen, Patrick Agyemang, Ben Brereton Diaz and Andi Weimann among his options, the Rams may be lacking a prolific goalscorer.

With that in mind, FLW asked Derby fan pundit Shaun Woodward if Brewster’s injury record is a concern, especially given his history, but he explained that it was the type of risk the club had to take, as he talked up the potential of the ex-Liverpool man if he could stay fit.

“It is concerning, but I think it’s to be expected. He has not played much football over the past couple of years, and he is the kind of player we’re having to go for at the moment, as we can’t go out and demand top-end Championship players, so we’re going for ones that have potential, or could reach that level if they stay injury free or their form returns.

“On his day, Brewster could be up there with the best in the league, but he hasn’t shown it in the last few years for whatever reason. But, that’s the type of player Derby are going for as we can’t just buy a ready-made top-class Championship player.

“So, we’re going to have a few that work out, and a few that don’t. I hope it works out for him in the long run, and he has shown glimpses. Away at Ipswich, Brewster looked really good, I know it was a long time ago now, but we were getting quite excited about him linking up with Agyemang and Morris, but unfortunately that has not worked out.

“With Morris out now as well, that front three doesn’t look as potent, so hopefully he returns soon, gets in the team and stays fit, because he could be a good asset to Derby.”

Rhian Brewster could still play a big role for Derby County this season

Obviously, Morris’ injury was a major blow for Derby, as he had established himself as the main man for Eustace this season.

Despite that, the boss still has plenty of options, so it’s not like they are down to the bare bones, and it’s now down to the likes of Brereton-Diaz and Salvesen to step up and help Agyemang.

As for Brewster, you can see why Derby decided to bring him in, as he was seen as an outstanding talent when he was at Liverpool, which convinced Sheffield United to spend a huge sum on the player.

In truth, he hasn’t fulfilled that potential, but at 25, time is still on his side. So, Derby will hope that Brewster can stay fit, and a run in the team could be just what he needs to start delivering on that potential.

With the busy festive period nearly upon us, Eustace will need to utilise his squad, which means Brewster will get opportunities, and it will be interesting to see if he can start to make his mark in a Derby shirt after his summer arrival.