Derby County Faces Setback as Widell Zetterström Out for Two Months

Derby County’s season has taken another heavy blow, with first-choice goalkeeper Jacob Widell Zetterström ruled out for up to two months with a knee injury.

The 28-year-old was hurt in the second half of Saturday’s 2-1 defeat at Birmingham City. For a few worrying moments he looked certain to come off, signalling discomfort and drawing the physio on. Instead, he gritted his teeth and played on, finishing the game despite the clear problem.

The real damage has surfaced since.

Scans have now confirmed a knee injury serious enough to keep him sidelined until around mid-November. For a Derby side already limping through an early-season injury crisis, the timing could hardly be worse. The lay-off means Widell Zetterström could miss as many as eight Championship fixtures for a Rams team struggling near the wrong end of the table.

His absence stretches far beyond club level. The Swede has been forced to pull out of the Sweden squad for their four upcoming Nations League group matches against Romania, Poland and Bosnia-Herzegovina in late September and early October. He had been part of the national picture on the back of his eye-catching performances at the World Cup, displays that also attracted strong transfer interest over the summer before Derby managed to keep hold of him.

Now they must cope without him.

The Birmingham defeat underlined just how cursed Derby’s luck feels right now. Before Widell Zetterström picked up his knee problem, Henrik Meister had already been carried off on a stretcher after a head knock, another grim addition to an already swollen injury list.

Meister and Widell Zetterström join a growing queue in the treatment room that already includes Matt Clarke, Derry Murkin, Filip Bilbija, Rhian Brewster, Craig Forsyth and Lewis Travis. It is a roll call no manager wants to recite.

In goal, the responsibility is set to fall on Josh Vickers. The 28-year-old has been named on the bench in every game this season but has yet to enjoy a sustained run. That is about to change. Vickers now steps into the spotlight, tasked with steadying a side short on bodies and confidence.

Derby fought hard to keep Widell Zetterström in the summer. Now they must learn how to live without him, at least until November.