Derby County might well have won their last League One encounter 1-0 away at Charlton Athletic, but injury news in the direct aftermath of the narrow win at the Valley could still hinder their automatic promotion aspirations.
Already losing Tyreece John-Jules to injury in attack recently, the goalscorer in the away win versus the Addicks in Nathaniel Mendez-Laing could also face a lengthy spell in the treatment room after hobbling off 38 minutes in.
The piling injury concerns become even more of a sore topic when you consider new Rams recruit Corey Blackett-Taylor wasn't fit enough for a reunion trip to Charlton either, with Paul Warne potentially having to look towards the current crop of youth talent at the League One club to help mend the nightmare situation unfolding.
A young star who could benefit from Derby's injuries
Although Mendez-Laing started as a makeshift striker in the slim victory, the accomplished Derby man is usually chosen by Warne to start at right wing.
This is where 21-year-old Alex Gibson-Hammond could come to the rescue, the ex-Nottingham Forest youngster excelling when switching over to Forest's arch-rivals in Derby from down the channels.
Whilst still at the City Ground, Gibson-Hammond would contribute to 12 goals from 40 appearances in the U21 set-up which saw Derby swoop in to land him as a free agent rather surprisingly.
Forest U23s head coach Andy Reid labelled the progress Gibson-Hammond was making at the time as "fantastic", only for him to leave for pastures new in Derbyshire.
Adept at playing down the left wing also, alongside even competently putting a shift in at right back and in central midfield, Warne could rely upon Gibson-Hammond to be a valuable utility option further with Blackett-Taylor's own fitness concerns.
This season in the Premier League 2 for the youthful Rams, the 20-year-old has scored two goals and managed one assist from ten games overall.
Both of those strikes would come in just one contest against Brighton, despite the youngster only being on the pitch for a meagre 17 minutes.
It could well be too much of a step-up for Gibson-Hammond at this moment in time – only having his first taster of senior football this season courtesy of a short-term loan switch to non-league Buxton – but Warne might feel that an injection of youth could add something to his experienced and injury-ridden squad anyway.
Alex Gibson-Hammond could become a key Derby player
It could be argued that Warne is overly reliant on ageing members of his squad to come up trumps, with James Collins the main Rams talisman in attack at 33 years of age.
Adding in something fresh to proceedings via Gibson-Hammond's introduction into the first-team fold could work wonders for the promotion-chasing Rams, by helping to give these veterans a rest when they're showing signs of lethargy.
As a result, the 21-year-old could then burst into life as an aggressive presence in attack from off the bench in place of the likes of Mendez-Laing.
This could well mean the Rams aren't further picking up niggles involving key individuals and adding to their ever-extended injury list as a direct consequence, helping them out in the run-in towards potential automatic promotion glory.
Gibson-Hammond won't come into the first team and leave his mark instantly, but Warne will need to start looking towards the future talents at Pride Park soon and could well pull off a masterstroke by giving the former Forest youth player more minutes.