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Former Derby County man Shaun Barker is of the view that Rams star Ebou Adams missing their next game against Leeds United due to suspension will be a big loss for Paul Warne.
Derby made Adams’ move permanent in the summer after the midfielder impressed during his loan spell with them last season.
Adams has been crucial this season in Derby’s midfield, starting the last 16 games for the Rams, but at the weekend he received his fifth booking of the season against Sheffield Wednesday, which will cause him to miss their next game against Leeds United on Saturday.
Barker thinks that Adams will be a huge miss for Derby going into the game against the Whites and stressed that the midfielder has been extremely impactful for Warne’s side in recent weeks.
He pointed out that Adams was also outstanding against the Owls at the weekend until he was booked and admitted that it will be a tough task for Warne to fill that gap left by the midfielder’s suspension in the next game.
When asked whether Derby will miss Adams against Leeds, Barker told Rams TV: “Huge hole to fill; I thought he was a different player when he was booked.
“The first 40 minutes he was outstanding everywhere again, tackles; he was the one that was drifting to that right-hand side and stepping through players.
“I thought he had a real tenacity, which is him, which is why we love him, but after the booking, he was a little bit more refrained, a little bit more careful, because the referee had already spoken to him on numerous occasions, so it took away some of his performance.
“But he is going to be a big miss because the last six or seven weeks since he has been back in the starting line-up, he has been a huge player and been so impactful that it is a shame, but you have to fill the gaps.”
Now all eyes will be on Warne to see which midfield combination he will go with when taking on promotion contenders Leeds.
