Blow for Beck as he heads back to Anfield following surgery

DEFENDER'S LOAN SPELL AT PRIDE PARK ENDS EARLY

- By LEIGH CURTIS

DERBY County head coach John Eustace has confirmed that Liverpool loanee Owen Beck has required surgery on his hamstring and will be returning to Anfield.

Beck needed to be substituted in an under-21s game away against Blackburn Rovers after 40 minutes just as he was on the verge of a making a Rams first-team appearance for the first time since joining in the summer.

But Eustace confirmed he has now gone under the knife and will be continuing his rehab at Liverpool.

That means the terms of his season-long loan are set to end in January.

It is a huge blow for the 23-year-old defender who only signed a new deal at Liverpool in the summer and moved to Derby to play regular first team football.

"Unfortunately, Owen has had to have surgery on his hamstring, so he's going to be out for the next three or four months," said Eustace.