Jose Mourinho reveals that Phil Jones has been playing through the pain barrier for Man United. Everton’s number one Jordan Pickford withdraws from international duties with a muscle problem, while Eden Hazard is destined to step up his recovery with minutes for Belgium against Gibraltar.
Here’s the latest on the injuries influencing Fantasy managers’ plans.
New Arrivals
After seeing his side chalk up a third successive win and clean sheet on Saturday, Jose Mourinho revealed that Phil Jones has been playing through the pain barrier in the heart of defence:
“For years and years and years he was injury prone and he has a problem now, he’s complaining about an ankle problem so he’s the kind of player where we need to have him always in our hands with a lot of care from the medical department, the fitness coach, my assistants in the gym, working on prevention and recovery”.
In spit of his manager’s words, Jones has since allayed any concerns over a possible injury by joining up with the England squad. After being assessed by the medical staff, reports suggest he has been passed fit to feature.
However, reports yesterday confirmed that he was one of four players who missed England’s latest training session as a precaution. Given that Spurs’ Kieran Trippier was also included in the quartet, it seems likely that these players’ are being managed in light of recent injury concerns rather than any new setbacks.
Already up to 5.1 in Fantasy Premier League, the former Blackburn Rovers man has been acquired by a further 39,000 since Saturday’s deadline passed as the most budget-friendly route into United’s resilient rearguard.
And his record alongside Eric Bailly shows just why. If you factor in last season and the summer friendlies, the Red Devils haven’t conceded in over 10 hours with the pair both on the pitch.
Indeed, with both centre-halves banned for the first Champions League match, Mourinho has confirmed that Chris Smalling and Victor Lindelof will start together against FC Basel on September 12.
That match occurs three days after a Gameweek 4 trip to Stoke and five days prior to their Gameweek 5 home clash with Everton, suggesting that – providing he continues to steer clear of the treatment room – Jones looks in the box seat to retain his spot alongside Bailly for domestic duties at present.
Elsewhere, Spurs’ Victor Wanyama missed Sunday’s home draw against Burnley, with Mousa Dembele and Eric Dier utilised in central midfield once again.
Surprisingly, Mauricio Pochettino has yet to start with a wing-back formation this season. He rolled out 4-2-3-1 set-ups in Gameweeks 1 and 3 and opted for a 4-3-3 against Chelsea, with Wanyama the deepest of the central three behind Dembele and Dier.
Indeed, Dier has now been utilised in central midfield in all three fixtures, with the Chelsea encounter the only time that Wanyama has been fit enough to start.
However, the recent arrival of Davinson Sanchez could now see a change in tactics. The new boy played the last few minutes off the bench against the Clarets, but with Pochettino seemingly reluctant to play Dier in defence, Spurs could now operate with a three-man backline away to Everton next time out.
With Swansea, West Ham, Huddersfield and Bournemouth in the next five, their prospects of clean sheet returns could be on the rise, particularly if Wanyama can recover from a knee problem in time to feature at Goodison.
Meanwhile, Aaron Ramsey was replaced at the break in Arsenal’s loss at Anfield after sustaining a calf complaint.
He is set to miss a training session for Wales, but local press indicate this is no more than a precaution and that Ramsey is expected to recover to feature.
Although the Gunners’ back-to-back defeats at Stoke and Liverpool are hardly encouraging for would-be investors, the upcoming schedule affords them an immediate chance to build momentum again.
Arsene Wenger’s side host Bournemouth, West Brom, Brighton and Swansea in the next seven Gameweeks, which could yet bring them onto our radars.
Priced at just 7.0 and owned by only 3% of FPL managers, Ramsey’s form in front of his own fans also bodes well if he can avoid injury – he’s scored in each of Arsenal’s last two league matches at the Emirates.
Over the last 24 hours, Everton’s Jordan Pickford has withdrawn from the England squad to face Malta and Slovakia after sustaining a muscle problem. His Toffees’ team-mate Mason Holgate is out of the England U21 squad due to a minor ankle injury.
West Ham’s Manuel Lanzini has also withdrawn from Argentina duties due to a knee problem. Now down to 6.9, Lanzini was handed his first outing of the season off the bench against Newcastle United last weekend after recovering from a similar complaint.
It may be no more than a precaution by the Hammers as they look to bounce back from three successive losses. A potential setback for their playmaker could force a reassessment of their potential, however, as Slaven Bilic’s side prepare to host Huddersfield and Swansea in the next four Gameweeks.
Elsewhere, a handful of peripheral Fantasy figures are early concerns ahead of Gameweek 4. Arsenal’s Alex Iwobi, Bournemouth frontman Benik Afobe and Huddersfield wide man Rajiv Van la Parra, along with Palace and Watford defenders James Tomkins and Craig Cathcart, all picked up problems over the weekend.
In Recovery
Eden Hazard continued his recovery from an ankle injury with a run-out for the Chelsea reserves on Friday night. With Hazard yet to feature for the champions this term, Antonio Conte has allowed him to join up with Belgium in a bid to step up his match fitness:
“I had a conversation with Roberto Martinez, and I think now it could be positive for Eden to go with the national team and have the training sessions, and then maybe to have the possibility to play a part of the game with Gibraltar. He is the Belgium captain and the most important thing is to continue to work and improve and then after the international break, to have the possibility to have him on the bench and to start to think of him as a new player for Chelsea this season.”
Speaking to Chelsea TV, Hazard is hoping to earn pitch-time for Thursday’s home encounter against Gibraltar:
“I need time. Maybe not a lot, but I need a little bit of time. So, I’m ready to play. I just want to play. I miss football. I want to touch the ball and feel good. It can be good [to play against Gibraltar] just to feel the sensation [of playing] again. Just to play football. I just want play and have fun.”
Hazard’s absence has allowed Willian to start all three Gameweeks so far, but with just a single assist to his name, the Brazilian is already the third most transferred-out midfielder since the weekend. With the Belgian back in contention, his role now looks under real threat again.
And Hazard’s return will also force a reassessment of the best route into Conte’s attack.
Two goals and a pair of assists have earned Alvaro Morata substantial backing – he’s the second most acquired player since Saturday, with over 159,000 new owners. Yet Hazard’s spot-kick duties, allied with their very similar prices (10.5 to 10.1) may persuade many to overlook the summer signing for their three-man frontlines.
Bournemouth skipper Simon Francis could return after the break to hand manager Eddie Howe a defensive dilemma.
The Cherries boss moved to a wing-back formation at home to Manchester City last weekend, with Tyrone Mings at centre-half and Adam Smith and Charlie Daniels patrolling the flanks.
With a trip to Arsenal up next, Francis could oust Mings in the three-man defence, thus allowing Smith to retain his position on the right, with such a system now placing big question marks over the pitch-time of Ryan Fraser. The Scot had started 18 of the previous 22 league outings prior to dropping to the bench against City.
Florian Lejeune narrowly missed out on Newcastle’s weekend win over West Ham, having failed to recover from a hamstring problem. However, the Frenchman’s imminent return could be concerning for Chancel Mbemba’s raft of new owners.
Priced at 4.0, the latter is the second most transferred-in (82,000+) defender in the Gameweek after serving up nine points at home to the Hammers. Yet if Lejeune and/or Paul Dummett can prove their fitness in time for the trip to Swansea, there’s a chance that Mbemba – who was a sub in Gameweek 1 prior to the pair’s respective injuries against Spurs – could soon be back on the bench.
Fernando Llorente missed Swansea’s 2-0 win over Palace as he continues his rehabilitation from a fractured arm. In his pre-Gameweek 3 press conference, though, Paul Clement revealed that the Spaniard “will be ready” after the international break, potentially placing him in contention to host Newcastle next time out.
But with rumours growing of a switch to Chelsea, Llorente’s future could have a knock-on effect on our transfer plans.
If he stays, an upcoming run of five very favourable home matches in eight (NEW WAT HUD LEI BRI) could bring him into contention at 7.5 in the mid-price bracket.
Yet if Llorente does depart, strike duo Tammy Abraham and Jordan Ayew – at just 5.5 and 5.0 respectively – could now offer excellent value as cut-price picks if Clement continues with two up top. Indeed, the pair both opened their accounts for the campaign with a goal apiece away to Crystal Palace.
Over 39,000 FPL managers have already sold on Ruben Loftus-Cheek since the deadline passed, after the Palace midfielder missed the home loss to Swansea with a groin problem.
Loftus Cheek remains the most popular sub-5.0 midfielder, but his ownership has now dropped from 14% to 9% since he was ruled out last Friday.
With a further 38,0000 shipping team-mate Wilfried Zaha over the last few days, the Eagles’ run of three straight losses under Frank de Boer has sparked a collective loss of faith. Trips to Burnley and both Manchester clubs, allied with a visit from Chelsea in the next five, suggest the exodus will continue.
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