Wrexham & Southampton play-off advantage? Big Derby County injury blow confirmed | OneFootball

Derby County winger Rhian Brewster is set to miss the rest of the season after undergoing knee surgery.

Wrexham, Southampton and Derby County are currently locked in a three-way battle for the final spot in the Championship play-offs.

Following Good Friday's results, the Red Dragons currently occupy the sixth and final spot in the Championship play-offs, after Derby lost at league leaders Coventry, and Southampton didn't play, as they face Arsenal in an FA Cup quarter-final clash on Saturday.

Wrexham could only muster a point on the road at lowly West Brom though, leaving the door wide open for the Saints to march through, should they win their game in hand.

As for Derby, they sit four points back from the Welsh club with six games to play. Despite pegging back Coventry twice on Friday, a Jack Rudoni strike 10 minutes from the end ultimately condemned John Eustace's men to defeat at the CBS Arena.

The Rams will look to bounce back on Easter Monday when Stoke City travel to Pride Park, but they will have to do so without one of their star players, who looks set to miss the rest of the season.

Derby County handed huge Rhian Brewster injury blow

With just six games left to play this season, having a fully fit squad is absolutely essential if you've still got something to play for. Injuries can hugely hamper any team's push for promotion or survival.

Unfortunately for Derby, it's been confirmed by the Derby Telegraph that they will be without star striker Rhian Brewster for the remainder of the season, after he picked up a knee injury in the Rams' victory over Birmingham City before the international break.

The former Liverpool prodigy underwent a scan following the match, and the results indicated that he'd sustained damage to his cartilage.

Brewster was absent from Eustace's squad which faced Coventry on Friday, as he underwent knee surgery. This has sadly brought the curtain down on what's been a strong season for the 26-year-old.

The addition of the ex-Sheffield United forward on a free has proven to be a shrewd one from the Derbyshire club, as he chipped in with seven goals and two assists in 29 Championship outings this term.

However, Derby will now have to see out the season without one of their main attacking threats, which has come as an awful blow for the play-off hopefuls.

Derby County injury blow could have implications on the play-off race

Of course, it would be naive to suggest one injury will totally derail Derby's play-off hopes, as they're far from a one-man team, but every injury or suspension at this stage of the season runs the risk of having a greater impact than it usually would.

Brewster is a key component in Eustace's system, operating off the left flank and cutting inside on his favoured right foot, which has yielded plenty of goals this season, and given teams another threat to worry about when facing a strong Rams side.

With that in mind, losing a key attacking outlet such as Brewster this late into the season will be a serious worry for Eustace, particularly with a crucial clash against play-off rivals Southampton just around the corner.

Derby will need Jayden Banel, who is filling in for the former Champions League winner, to step up and try to fill the void left by the injury, or it could well be advantage Wrexham and Southampton in the play-off race.