John Eustace teases huge Derby County boost v Swansea - 'it's really important' | OneFootball

The Rams could welcome their top scorer back to action as soon as this weekend

Derby County boss John Eustace has issued an encouraging update over the fitness of Carlton Morris ahead of their weekend Championship fixture with Swansea City at Pride Park.

The Rams have remained within touching distance of the play-off positions in recent weeks and months, and will be hoping to secure another three-point haul which could see them rise back into the top six whilst also addressing their recently frustrating form in DE24 in the process.

Derby slipped back down to 11th in midweek as a result of Birmingham City's goalless draw with West Bromwich Albion at St. Andrew's @ Knighthead Park on Tuesday evening, and are currently two points outside the play-offs after suffering a 2-1 defeat to third-placed Ipswich Town in front of the Sky Sports cameras last weekend.

With many of their divisional rivals pre-occupied with FA Cup commitments this coming Saturday, Eustace's side are one of only three sides currently involved in the battle for the top six - that are inside the top half - which are partaking in league fixtures, with Preston North End and Watford also facing off against each other at Deepdale, with the full-time result in Lancashire set to somewhat impact Derby's own short-term fortunes.

However, after winning three of their last five matches in the Championship, the East Midlands outfit will be confident that they can record a 13th win in 32 league games, particularly if Morris is to play some part in proceedings, something which Eustace has failed to rule out when speaking in his pre-match press conference.

Derby County could welcome back Carlton Morris for crucial Championship clash vs Swansea City

It has been well-documented for some time that the experienced forward has become one of the second tier's most potent goalscorers, which saw him follow up his prior form for Barnsley and Luton Town almost straight away at Pride Park after becoming one of several arrivals in Eustace's first transfer window since his appointment 12 months ago.

Joining on a free from the Hatters, who were relegated to League One on the final day of last season, Morris made an instant impression to supporters of the black and whites, as he netted in all four of his first Championship appearances for the club, which began on the opening day of the campaign in a 3-1 defeat to Stoke City.

In October, the 30-year-old was handed the captain's armband for a four-game period, and he certainly repaid Eustace's faith by scoring a further six goals in that time, which included a hat-trick against Sheffield United.

Morris then sustained an ankle issue in the 3-2 home defeat to Watford on November 29th, but has remained the club's top scorer with 10 goals in 16 appearances, despite the strong form of £7.3m acquisition, Patrick Agyemang.

After the Cambridge-born man recently returned to training, Eustace has revealed that he could be involved against the Swans, albeit potentially from the substitutes bench.

"Possibly," said Eustace on Morris' potential involvement.

"He's trained three times with the group now.

"It's really important that we don't push him too much, because we don't want to lose him again," Eustace explained.

"Let's see how he is tomorrow to see if he's involved with (us) on Saturday."

Derby County's play-off push will be boosted by Carlton Morris comeback

Although this encounter could still come too soon for Morris, it is an update which all Rams supporters will be pleased to hear, as Morris' experience will certainly be welcomed in their fight for the play-offs.

The striker will hope to hit a similar run of form to the one which he enjoyed pre-setback, as his presence, alongside Agyemang, has proven to be a lethal combination for defenders to contend with, even in such a small sample size of fixtures where that has been the case.