Derby County have been dealt a major injury blow regarding Colin Kazim-Richards.

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Speaking after Derby's 2-1 defeat against Peterborough United on Saturday afternoon, a game in which Kazim-Richards was carried off on a stretcher following an awkward landing, Wayne Rooney stated his concern that the centre-forward could well be set to sit on the sidelines for a considerable amount of time.

As cited by Derbyshire Live, the 35-year-old said: "We will do all the right tests over the next few days to see what it is, but it is not going to be a short one, I think.

"I don't know the extent of the injury but I don't think it is going to be a quick fix. So we will lose him for a while. We will do tests to see how long that is."

Rooney will be gutted

Considering just how short Rooney's Derby County first-team squad already is, with the manager currently having just 18 outfield players at his disposal - two of whom, Krystian Bielik and Jason Knight, are currently injured - the fact that his only senior centre-forward looks likely to miss a substantial amount of action due to injury is sure to have left the Rams boss gutted.

While the 34-year-old's replacement, Jack Stretton, did manage to find the back of the net in the Peterborough fixture, it is hardly an ideal scenario for a 19-year-old with just six first-team appearances to his name to be leading the Rams attacking line in what could well be a relegation fight this season.

Indeed, over his 38 Championship appearances for Derby last term, Kazim-Richards played an influential role in ensuring his side remained in the division, scoring eight goals, registering two assists and creating five big chances for his teammates.

As such, unless Rooney can bring in a replacement for the player he dubbed a "massive leader" in what remains of the summer transfer window, the former England international's chances of beating the drop this season appear to have taken a massive hit.

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