Scout Scribbles – Forster Set for Lengthy Lay-Off

Southampton are left devastated by news that Fraser Forster could be sidelined for a year. Danny Rose calls off from international duties due to hip and hamstring injuries, whilst Raheem Sterling plans an early exit from the England camp before the Three Lions face Italy in Turin. Elsewhere, Martin Skrtel is handed a three-match suspension for his late challenge on David de Gea and Robin van Perise eyes up a return to action in time for the Manchester derby.

Forster faces year out

Fraser Forster has been ruled out of action for between nine and 12 months after scans on his knee revealed serious damage to his left patellar tendon. The Southampton goalkeeper took an awkward fall during the Burnley encounter on Saturday and was stretchered off. Speaking on the devastating news, Saints executive director of football, Les Reed, insisted that Forster would receive the best medical support possible as they try to prepare him for a return next season:

“Fraser is an outstanding goalkeeper and has been a huge part of our success this season. While this is a challenging situation, we look forward to him returning to action as soon as he is fully fit. I am sure he will go on to make a significant number of appearances for Southampton and for England, and will get the best support available to help him recover to do so.”

The Scout Says: Forster’s gloomy prognosis has dealt a hammer blow to Southampton’s hopes of securing a Champions League berth. With Graziano Pelle struggling for form of late (one goal in 14) and the Saints’ midfielders only delivering sporadic attacking returns, the Hampshire club have been far from prolific, tallying the fewest goals (42) of any side currently in the top seven. Instead, their success this term has hinged on the league’s most resilient defence, having been breached on only 21 occasions – four fewer than the much-vaunted Chelsea rearguard. With Forster sidelined and Artur Boruc unable to be recalled from his loan stint at Bournemouth, 38-year-old Kelvin Davis is set to deputise for the former Celtic stopper and offer us a route into a defence that’s already racked up 14 clean sheets this season – more than any other side. Priced at a mere 4.4 in the Fantasy Premier League (FPL) game, Davis is set to face five of the bottom eight (eve, HUL, sun, lei, AVL) and a trip to Stoke in the next seven Gameweeks.

Rose withdraws from England squad

Danny Rose sustained “hip and hamstring injuries” while training with the England squad and has pulled out ahead of their Euro 2016 qualifier against Lithuania on Friday. A statement on the FA website regarding the matter read as follows:

“Tottenham Hotspur’s Danny Rose has withdrawn from the England camp through injury. The left-back will play no further part in preparation for the forthcoming fixtures against Lithuania and Italy and has returned to his club.”

The Scout Says: Considering that Tottenham have accrued just six clean sheets and only four teams have conceded more goals (45) than Mauricio Pochettino’s side this term, it might be surprising to some that Rose (5.0) boasts an 8.8% ownership. A portion of that can be attributed to managers who snapped up the left-back for Spurs’ double Gameweek, yet Rose’s solid attacking returns (two goals and five assists in 22 starts) have rendered him an outside bet regardless. A timeline hasn’t been given on a potential return for Rose, but his absence for a Gameweek 31 tie at Burnley would afford Ben Davies (4.4) a first start in three fixtures. Despite the Lilywhites’ lack of a shut-out in their previous seven league encounters, their upcoming trio of matches (bur, AVL, new) offers hope to current investors in Spurs’ rearguard, given that the Clarets (26 goals) and Villa (19) are two of the three lowest scoring teams in the league this season.

Skrtel slapped with three-match ban

Martin Skrtel will sit out Liverpool’s next three matches after being found guilty by the FA of stamping on Manchester United stopper David De Gea in the dying embers of the Anfield clash.

The Scout Says: Skrtel’s moment of perceived ill-discipline rules him out of two league ties – away to Arsenal and at home to Newcastle – in addition to the Reds’ FA Cup quarter-final replay against Blackburn Rovers. The Slovakian centre-back became the second Liverpool player to be charged with violent conduct last Gameweek, after Steven Gerrard saw red within 38 seconds of entering the fray for a stamp on Ander Herrera. In Skrtel’s absence, Dejan Lovren is the most likely candidate to be tasked with slotting into Brendan Rodgers’ three centre-back formation, yet the Croatian defender is struggling with an abdominal wall complaint and remains a doubt for Liverpool’s next fixture at Arsenal. Failing that, Kolo Toure could be set to earn his seventh start of the campaign. In two of the three matches that Skrtel’s missed this season, the Reds have fallen to a home defeat against Aston Villa and been held to a 2-2 home draw by bottom-placed Leicester City. Their trip to the Emirates to face an Arsenal side that’s recorded eight consecutive home league victories will be a stern test for a backline that’s registered seven clean sheets in 10 when unencumbered by injury and suspension.

Sterling to cut short England stay

Raheem Sterling will return from international duty with England earlier than expected to receive treatment for a minor toe injury. The Jamaica-born winger will feature in the Three Lions’ Euro 2016 qualifier against Lithuania before sitting out the friendly against Italy next Tuesday:

The Scout Says: In light of Liverpool’s spate of injuries (Daniel Sturridge, Adam Lallana, Simon Mignolet) and suspensions (Steven Gerrard, Martin Skrtel) in the aftermath of last weekend, Brendan Rodgers is loath to risk Sterling aggravating a slight knock in a largely meaningless friendly against Italy in Turin. The Reds’ head coach will doubtless be recollecting last September when Sturridge sustained the first of several injuries that kept him sidelined for nearly five months. With the England striker and Lallana both doubts for their Gameweek 31 visit to the Emirates, Sterling will be hoping to be moved back into a central position after failing to earn points in each of his last three league appearances, which coincided with a shift to the right wing-back berth as a result of Jordan Ibe’s injury.

Van Persie targets derby return

Robin van Persie is hoping to be fit for the Manchester derby on 12 April (Gameweek 32). The Red Devils striker is said to be stepping up his fitness regime during the international break in a bid to be in contention for the City clash.

The Scout Says: Van Persie has been sidelined for over a month by virtue of ankle ligament damage that he sustained during United’s trip to Swansea in Gameweek 26. The Old Trafford outfit have chalked up victories in all four of the matches that the Dutchman has missed, scoring eight goals and conceding only one in the process, with Wayne Rooney stepping up to spearhead the attack in Van Persie’s absence and netting three goals in four outings. In light of Rooney’s gradual return to prominence in his favoured role and the fact that Louis van Gaal’s outfit have turned a corner in recent weeks – recording commanding wins over top-four rivals Tottenham Hotspur and Liverpool – it remains to be seen whether Van Persie will be immediately installed to the starting line-up. As we saw last weekend against Liverpool, Van Gaal resisted the temptation to hand Angel Di Maria a recall after a one-match suspension and kept faith in the line-up that swept aside Spurs in the previous Gameweek, which suggests that his compatriot Van Persie may face a tough task to justify his first-team inclusion once fully-fit.