3/1 To Win
Phillip Cocu is confident that Wayne Rooney and Tom Lawrence could return to the Derby County fold for Saturday’s Sky Bet Championship trip to Millwall.
The former Manchester United duo watched on from the stands due to injury as Derby defeated Blackburn Rovers 3-0 at Pride Park Stadium on Sunday afternoon.
Rooney was nursing a minor muscle problem, while Lawrence sustained a calf injury in last Thursday’s Emirates FA Cup Fifth Round tie against Manchester United.
Cocu is optimistic that the pair will be in contention to feature at The Den and says their fitness will continue to be assessed over the coming days.
Rooney and Lawrence have been influential figures in the Derby side in recent weeks with Cocu’s side making a steady rise up the Sky Bet Championship table.
Speaking to RamsTV, Cocu admitted: “Wayne had a muscle problem and it doesn’t seem big, but he couldn’t train at 100 per cent.
“We didn’t want to take a risk where maybe he would have a big injury and he would be out for the rest of the season.
“We will assess him and examine exactly what the problem is, but we expect that he will be available for the next game.”
He added: “Tom had a knock on his calf in the FA Cup game.
“I think one or two more days would be enough, but he couldn’t play today. It is a minor knock for him.”
Rooney, who officially joined Derby from Major League Soccer side D.C. United at the beginning of January, has made 15 appearances in all competitions since his return to English football with the Rams.
Lawrence, meanwhile, has made 35 appearances in all competitions for Derby this season, scoring nine times.
