John Eustace issues Derby County update after striker undergoes surgery

Agyemang underwent the knife last week to repair a ruptured Achilles that will keep him sidelined until Christmas.

The injury has not only ruled him out of Derby's play-off push but also the World Cup this summer when he stood a good chance of making the USA squad.

Eustace said Agyemang felt "very low" in the aftermath of the injury but is looking forward to his return and says it will feel like a January signing.

"He's had his surgery probably about a week ago now, so it's going to be a slow, slow process for him," he said.

"We're all right behind him and making sure he's in the best hands. I don't think he'll be back now till Christmas, which is obviously a huge blow for us, but when he's back, it'll be like signing a fantastic player in January and hopefully we'll be in a good position where he can really impact us.

"It really hit him at the first because it's not just missing the playoff push with us but also missing the World Cup, which is a huge thing for him.

"Obviously to represent your country is an amazing achievement and he's come from nowhere really, at the start of the season to get to a really strong position now.

"From a mentality point of view, he's been very low and, but he has started to come in now for the last couple of days.

"He has a big smile back on his face and we're right behind him."

Every day, the DerbyshireLive football desk strives to deliver all manner of news, features and transfer-related stories as a part of our overall package of Derby County content.

Our dedicated reporter Leigh Curtis - who you can follow on X by clicking here - follows the Rams home and away and offers you comprehensive coverage from matchdays, press conferences and everything that happens in between.

You can also get all your favourite content from DerbyshireLive's Rams team on WhatsApp. Click here to sign up for breaking updates about the biggest stories in and around the club.

If you prefer reading our Rams stories on your phone, consider downloading the DerbyshireLive app, in which you can personalise the content you see by selecting Derby County as one of your designated topics. You can get it from Apple here and for Android here.