Derby County Goalkeeper Jacob Widell Zetterstrom Out for Two Months

Derby County have been dealt another savage injury blow, with first-choice goalkeeper Jacob Widell Zetterstrom ruled out for up to two months with a knee problem.

The 28-year-old was hurt in the second half of Saturday’s 2-1 defeat at Birmingham City. For a moment it looked serious enough to end his afternoon there and then, but he chose to play on and finished the Championship match.

The damage has since caught up with him.

Zetterstrom has been forced to pull out of the Sweden squad for their four upcoming Nations League group games against Romania, Poland and Bosnia-Herzegovina in late September and early October. Derby now do not expect him back until around mid-November.

That lay-off could see him miss as many as eight league fixtures for a Rams side already creaking under the weight of an injury crisis and struggling near the wrong end of the table.

Injury Issues

Saturday’s game at St Andrew’s underlined the scale of the problem. Before Zetterstrom’s knee issue, Henrik Meister had already been taken off on a stretcher after a head knock, another worrying sight for Derby’s medical team.

Both now join a growing queue for the treatment room. Matt Clarke, Derry Murkin, Filip Bilbija, Rhian Brewster, Craig Forsyth and Lewis Travis are all sidelined, leaving the squad stripped of depth and experience in key areas.

Losing Zetterstrom is a particularly bitter setback. Derby did well to fend off strong transfer interest in the summer after his impressive performances at the World Cup, and he has been a central figure in their plans.

His absence is set to open the door for Josh Vickers, who has been named on the bench in every game so far this season. The gloves are his now, at a time when Derby can least afford any more missteps.