John Eustace issues squad update as Derby County resume Championship survival battle
John Eustace says Derby County have been able to put in ‘serious work’ during the international break as they look to regain the momentum built up before the Championship hiatus.
The Rams, who at one point looked sure-fire relegation fodder, won three games on the bounce going into the break to breathe life into their survival hopes
Results at the weekend mean they approach Wednesday night’s clash with Preston two points from safety but with Cardiff City and Hull City within striking distance.
And Eustace says they are well-rested and have had some important time on the training pitch.
“I think everyone’s really excited about the eight games coming up. We’ve had a couple of good weeks now on the training field as well, which has been great,” he told Rams TV.
“We’ve been able to rest a few players that have needed that rest as well, so it’s going to be an exciting eight games.
“There’s been some real serious work on the training field. There was certainly three or four players that needed a rest as well, who were going through the pain barrier for the club, which was fantastic.
“We’ve been able to give them a little bit of a rest, a bit of a breather, and now whoever’s available is now fit and ready to go.”
While Eustace was able to work with most of his squad, there were players away on international duty, like captain Ebou Adams with Gambia, Sondre Langas with Norway, Nathaniel Mendez-Laing and Harrison Armstrong who played for England Under-18s. Importantly he says they have rejoined the group without mishap.
“H and Ebs have come back fully fit, which is great, and the squad is looking in good shape.
“Preston are a very solid championship team, fantastic manager, great experienced players, they know the league inside out and it’s going to be a really difficult challenge, but one we’re really looking forward to.
“We just take each day as it comes, each game as it comes and just focus on what we can control.
“I think the boys have been fantastic for the last five or six weeks, we’ve just got to continue all the hard work that we’ve been doing and see where it takes us.”
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