Derby County will continue to be without Carlton Morris for this Saturday’s lunchtime match against Birmingham City, with head coach John Eustace stating that the 30-year-old has yet to return to first-team training.

The Rams have had a rough start to the 2026/27 season, sitting in the relegation zone after winning one of their first six games.

Injuries have affected both ends of the pitch. Matt Clarke, an influential center-back, has been absent since the EFL Cup defeat to Lincoln City and will be out for the next few months.

Meanwhile, Derby are still dealing with Patrick Agyemang’s Achilles injury from April, and second-choice frontman Carlton Morris has also missed the last four games.

Derby County star Carlton Morris is currently sidelined with a calf injury.

Morris’ what appeared to be a minor muscular issue has not improved, according to John Eustace, ahead of tomorrow’s game against Birmingham.

“Not really.” According to Derbyshire Live, the 30-year-old has returned to training with some assistance from physiotherapists.I believe it is still too early for Carlton, since we do not want to endanger him.”

Derby’s attacking numbers in recent weeks have been somewhat worrying. They’ve failed to score in three of the four games Morris has missed, failed to record a shot on goal in 3-0 losses to Swansea City and West Ham United, and only managed three against a West Brom side that was down to ten men for about an hour on Wednesday night.

Derby County’s Championship Attacking Stats: 2026-27

Stat

Figure

League Ranking

Goals

5

23rd

Expected goals:

5.43 23rd Shots 63 20th On-target shots

19 22nd

Stats are true as of September 11, 2026.

However, Eustace continues to back those in reserve. Despite using attacking midfielder Sammie Szmodics in the starting lineup on Wednesday, Rams manager believes newcomers Henrik Meister and Lars-Jorgen Salvesen can still perform well.I believe Henrik came on last night and looked sharp. He also did well at West Ham. We’ve got Lars, who obviously scored against Portsmouth, so we have some excellent options up there,” Eustace said.

Derby County fans are yearning for Carlton Morris’ return.

Morris has been reliable for Derby since joining from Luton Town last summer. He started last season beautifully, but a leg injury in November sidelined him for over three months.

This season, he scored goals in both of the first two league games, and Rams fans miss his presence up front.

During Derby County’s recent 1-0 loss to West Brom, one supporter wrote, “We desperately miss Carlton Morris #dcfc.” “Spamming crosses from Joe Ward isn’t going to work if we haven’t got a Carlton Morris or Agyemang in the box to head them in…,” another wrote following the match.It’s horrible when you can’t beat the unstoppable West Bromwich Albion. Comments on the defeat against the Baggies included “absolutely crying out for Carlton Morris, I don’t think their goalkeeper made a save?” and “#dcfcfans.”

While John Eustace deserves a lot of credit for his efforts to keep Derby in the Championship at the end of the 2024/25 season, as well as the eighth-place finish he oversaw in his first full season in charge, you can’t help but feel that the start of this season has put some pressure on his role.

There have been injuries at important places, but the performances have not been up to the standards that many expect from Eustace.

Derby simply hasn’t laid a glove on some opponents this season, which is quite concerning, and Rams fans are becoming restless. Without Morris, their future quality would suffer, but their head coach must find a way to get form out of his backups.

Last season, the Rams started slowly before building up to their playoff drive. This may not be acceptable for the second year in a row.