Woodward was certain of the magnitude of this setback for the player and the club when asked what he felt right away about the previously reported Langås update.It’s a significant loss, so let’s not mince words,” Woodward remarked.At this point in the season, you want your best players on the field, and he is our fastest and best center-half. He can also play right-back. Particularly now that we’re attempting to make a run for the playoffs,” the Fan Pundit continued.
This is particularly devastating because Langås has developed into one of John Eustace’s most reliable players rather than just another body at the back.
The Derby boss has shown how highly he rates the Norwegian by trusting him with the captain’s armband on occasions when both Lewis Travis (and Ebou Adams) had been unavailable.
Woodward continued by telling FLW, “And also for him, it’s a big disappointment with the World Cup around the corner. So, fitness is key to him and form, it’s a real shame.
“Hopefully he can come back towards the back end of the season and kind of go into the summer with the best chance of getting into that World Cup squad.”
The Norwegian needed surgery on his knee at the end of last season – saying to BBC Radio Derby it was “hard to describe how painful” things became as he played through the issue during Derby’s run‑in for survival.
Perhaps one saving grace is that it’s not his knee again, but still, for saying Langås had a delayed start to 25/26, this is definitely a huge loss, as Woodward suggests.
Derby County are ‘lucky’ but ‘can’t underestimate’ the loss of Sondre Langås
Eustace’s first “positive,” if you can call it that, is that Derby proved they could still put on strong performances without Langås in the lineup with their 5-0 victory over Bristol City.
The centre-back wasn’t in the squad with the sick No. 1 Jacob Widell Zetterstrom because it was previously revealed that he had a hamstring injury. Even after stating that Derby is “lucky” with their cover, Woodward believes the team should not downplay the magnitude of the loss.
The Fan Pundit concluded, “For Derby, it’s a massive loss. We’re lucky we’ve got Sanderson and Clarke, who played very well together against Bristol City. Also, we’ve got Danny Batth who can support them two as well, so we are okay with centre-halves. It’s just that we can’t underestimate the loss of Langas, because he is our best one.
“It’s a big blow for Derby and himself for Norway.”
One thing Woodward didn’t mention was the decision to let Curtis Nelson move on to MK Dons, which could be questioned now in light of Langås’ injury update. This is because, behind Batth, the next in line as cover in the middle of defence is Craig Forsyth.
Using Sanderson as an example, Eustace revealed in January that the ex-Birmingham City captain has been playing through some shin splint problems. So, if anything further happens to either one of him, or Clarke, then it could be a worrying time for Derby.
Rams fans, along with Woodward, will be hoping that arguably their best defender isn’t out for as long as Solbakken says.
