

Derby County midfielder Jeff Hendrick will see a specialist tomorrow in the hope of discovering how long he will be laid up with a chipped bone in his ankle but the 21-year-old is out of his club’s game at the weekend against Burnley as well as both of Ireland’s forthcoming World Cup qualifiers.

“We hope it won’t be too long,” said Derby manager Nigel Clough, regarding the injury, “but we should get everything confirmed towards the weekend. Jeff is still in a bit of pain and is hobbling around on crutches.”

Henrick, for whom a move away from Derby in the current window still remains a possibility, becomes the first of six players who must be cut from the squad of 29 that Giovanni Trapattoni named on Sunday.

Owen Coyle has praised James McCarthy for the way he has handled all the speculation regarding a possible move back to the Premier League, with Everton and Newcastle United both repeatedly linked with the Republic of Ireland midfielder in the media.

“I have to give James enormous credit for the way he has conducted himself,” said the Wigan boss.



‘Gem of a lad’

“Whenever he has been wearing the Wigan Athletic shirt, he has given me everything he’s got. The other night against Doncaster, he covered 13kilometres - which is Champions League standard. He is an outstanding footballer But he’s also a gem of a lad.”

Kevin Doyle, meanwhile, looks increasingly likely to stay at Wolves for the coming season, with manager Kenny Jackett suggesting that as long as there is not any serious outside interest in the Ireland striker he can play a part in the club’s attempt to get back out of League One at the first attempt.

“It will depend so much on who comes in for him,” said Jackett. “Until anybody does come in at a serious level he’s a Wolves player. Nobody has come in for him as yet and Kevin trains hard, is a good team member, a very good pro with good commitment. We’re more than happy to have him.”



Reluctant

Doyle’s international career seems to be tied to his club’s fortunes as well as his own form, with Giovannu Trapattoni, who will be at West Ham versus Stoke this Saturday to see the likes of Joey O’Brien, Jon Walters and Glenn Whelan in action, apparently reluctant to start selecting from the English game’s third tier.