Nani’s red card for the lunging challenge on Stylian Petrov in last night’s battling 1-1 draw has left Alex Ferguson without the winger for their Carling Cup Final appointment with Villa and, more importantly, both United’s double fixtures in gameweek 27.
The Portuguese winger will be banned for the matches against Everton and West Ham, much to the annoyance of the 3824 Fantasy Premier League (FPL) Managers who had brought in Nani this week in preparation. Ferguson’s wasn’t the only red/purple face when referee Peter Walton dealt out the card.
Nani’s absence will now at least offer us reassurance that Antonio Valencia will start in those games, particularly as Ryan Giggs is also an injury concern for Ferguson…
The Welshman suffered an injury to his forearm in a challenge with Villa’s Steve Sidwell and left the ground with his arm in a sling. He will undergo x-rays later today. If Giggs is also facing a spell out then Park Ji-Sung’s starting role could also start to look more secure on the opposite flank.
Valencia, currently priced at 8.4 in the FPL, will surely be the prize asset however. He looks set to rise dramatically in popularity as a gameweek signing. Valencia currently trails Stoke’s in-form Matt Etherington as the most coveted midfielder in the FPL, but it seems likely he will surpass Etherington and enjoy at least one price rise in the week and a half between now and the next FPL deadline on February 20. Valencia has dropped from 8.6 to his current price since gameweek 22.