Reports are suggesting that Liverpool’s Fabio Aurellio is facing up to six months on the sidelines after suffering a knee injury whilst on holiday.
Early prognosis on the injury, suffered whilst having a kickabout in his garden, had the Brazilian left-back out until September. However, the latest news is hinting that he could well be absent for around six months, putting him out until just before Christmas.
With Aurellio sidelined, Rafa would be faced with a straight choice between Argentinian U20 international Emiliano Insúa and the much maligned Italian, Andrea Dossena. This looks likely to be good news for fantasy managers…
After a number of abject performances, Dossena is one of the favourites to be shown the door at Anfield. Juventus are rumoured to be keen on taking him back to Italy, although the decision to oust Dossena is likely to be delayed until the extent of the Aurellio injury is confirmed. Rafa has sealed a deal for 18-year-old left-back Chris Mavinga from Paris Saint-Germain but he is unlikely to be a threat for a first team berth right now. That leaves Insua in the box seat when it comes to claiming the left-back slot.
The promising Argentinian started 9 matches in the Premier League last season and only had his run in the side interrupted by the South American U20 Championship in the New Year. It seems likely that he will get the nod whilst Aurellio is out and that could hand fantasy managers an early season bargain.
Few fantasy games are likely to back Insua for starts and that should be reflected in his pricing. The Fantasy Premier League game have valued him at 6.0 – an identical value to Martin Skrtel who is competing for a starting role with Daniel Agger. Compare this to Jamie Carragher at 7.0 and Glen Johnson at 7.5 and it’s clear that Insua offers a cheaper option for Liverpool clean sheets in the early part of the season.
We will need further confirmation on the Aurellio injury before we can get carried away with Insua’s long term prospects. He is currently continuing his rehabilitation in Brazil so it could be some time before the true extent of the injury is known. That said, even as a short-term purchase until September, Insua appears to offer decent value in a Liverpool defence that, against the odds, is beginning to look fairly settled.