Derby County suffer another major setback as Jacob Widell Zetterstrom faces injury layoff

Derby County have suffered another setback, with goalkeeper Jacob Widell Zetterstrom expected to miss several weeks after sustaining a knee injury during the draw against Birmingham City.

The Swedish goalkeeper required treatment late in the match after making a save from Carlos Vicente. He then headed straight down the tunnel when the final whistle was blown, raising concerns about the extent of the problem.

Those fears have now been confirmed, with Zetterstrom understood to have suffered ligament damage in his knee. The injury has also forced him to withdraw from Sweden’s upcoming international fixtures.

The 28-year-old had been pushing to establish himself as Sweden’s first-choice goalkeeper following an impressive World Cup campaign. However, he will now miss the national team’s upcoming matches against Romania and Poland, as well as the fixtures against Bosnia and Herzegovina and Romania in October.

Zetterstrom is not expected to return until sometime in November, meaning he will miss this weekend’s trip to Burnley and potentially a significant portion of Derby’s schedule. The Rams are due to play eight matches before the next international break.

His absence is likely to see Josh Vickers step into the starting role. Vickers deputised for Zetterstrom for several months towards the end of last season and has made 28 appearances since joining Derby in 2023.

Richard O’Donnell is expected to move onto the substitutes’ bench, while the club also have Nicholas Bilokapic available after adding him to the squad earlier this month.

The latest injury is another frustrating blow for John Eustace, who is already without several important members of his squad. Matt Clarke, Lewis Travis, Craig Forsyth and Derry Murkin are among those currently sidelined, leaving Derby facing further squad-selection challenges.