Scout Scribbles – Ramsey in Fitness Race

Aaron Ramsey limps out of Wales’ win over Andorra with an ankle problem. Gylfi Sigurdsson maintains his superb start to the season with a goal in Iceland’s win over Turkey, Man United’s injury situation continues to ease, while Hull’s pair of loan signings both find the net in a behind-closed-doors friendly.

INJURY SCARE FOR RAMSEY

Arsenal face a nervous wait to find out the extent of the injury picked up by Aaron Ramsey in last night’s 2-1 win for Wales against Andorra. The Gunners midfielder hobbled off in added time after sustaining a kick to the ankle, but Wales manager Chris Coleman was optimistic that the knock was only a minor one:

“He got a kick and there was a twist in his ankle. It was coming to the end of the game and it was pointless taking a risk with him. Hopefully he’ll be okay for Arsenal at the weekend but we’ll have to see what the next 24 to 48 hours hold.”

The Scout Says: Whilst Coleman’s words will offer a degree of encouragement for Ramsey’s owners, we only have to look to last year to see the Arsenal talisman’s propensity for picking up injuries. Should his absence for this Saturday’s showdown with Man City be confirmed, Arsene Wenger will be forced to shuffle the pack in midfield, and with Mikel Arteta now fit, the Gunners boss could deploy Jack Wilshere, Mesut Ozil, Santi Cazorla and Alexis Sanchez as a four behind new signing Danny Welbeck. Nonetheless, bearing in mind Ramsey is the highest owned player in Fantasy Premier League (FPL) further news on the extent of his injury will be as eagerly awaited by the Fantasy world as by Wenger himself, with a potential spell on the sidelines sparking a mass exodus.

SIGURDSSON’S FINE FORM CONTINUES

The formidable form of Gylfi Sigurdsson shows no sign of abating, as the midfielder scored his side’s second goal in Iceland’s 3-0 triumph over Turkey.

The Scout Says: A price hike of 0.5 and a present ownership of over 36% highlights how far the Sigurdsson bandwagon has come in just three Gameweeks. That’s no surprise, however, with the Swansea man having tallied a goal and four assists thus far, making him the second top scoring player in FPL. After this weekend’s tough trip to Stamford Bridge, the Swans’ fixtures improve significantly (SOU, sun, NEW, sto, LEI) and, should Sigurdsson continue his current form, the Icelandic international could be nudging the 7.0 mark before we know it. Managers who feel they’ve already missed the boat may need a rethink.

SHAW AND RAFAEL ON COURSE FOR RETURN

Man United’s injury list is beginning to lighten, as reports yesterday confirmed that defenders Luke Shaw and Rafael have returned from hamstring and groin injuries respectively. Both players are now in contention to feature for United in this weekend’s clash with QPR at Old Trafford.

The Scout Says: Another match without a win on Saturday and Louis van Gaal may begin to run out of excuses. Shaw and Rafael join Ander Herrera in making their comebacks from injury this week, whilst the fresh faces of Marcus Rojo, Daley Blind and Radamel Falcao are all also available for selection against QPR, ensuring that the United boss can have no complaints over availability this time round. Shaw could well come straight into Van Gaal’s starting XI at left-back regardless of whether the Dutchman continues with a 3-4-1-2 formation or converts to having four at the back, and will be looking to impress, having not yet featured competitively for his new club since a big-money switch from Southampton. Meanwhile, should United’s new intake of signings indeed result in a change to a traditional back four from here on in, Rafael looks likely to take over from Antonio Valencia at right back, and with a price tag of just 5.4, the Brazilian could be the cheapest route into United’s defence as the schedule (QPR, lei, WHM, EVE, wba) continues to smile favourably upon the Old Trafford outfit.

NEW BOYS NOTCH FOR HULL

Hull City’s deadline day signings Hatem Ben Arfa and Gaston Ramirez scored a goal apiece in a behind-closed-doors friendly against West Brom yesterday afternoon which finished 2-2.

The Scout Says: After completing their last-minute moves to the North East last week, both Ben Arfa and Ramirez will be eager to reignite their careers after less-than-prominent previous seasons and the two midfielders’ performances in yesterday’s encounter should see them instantly push for starting spots when Hull welcome West Ham on Monday night. Two points from their first three fixtures suggests that Steve Bruce’s side need an injection of creativity and flair, and whilst the pair of new signings have been branded ‘hit or miss’ in the past, either could inspire the Tigers to their first victory of the season against the Hammers. Ramirez, at 5.5, is the cheaper of the two, and may be handed the role in behind the two strikers as well as a share of set piece duties, making the Uruguayan one to monitor over the coming weeks.

LESCOTT AND GAMBOA STEP UP FITNESS

Both Joleon Lescott and Cristian Gamboa were handed starts for West Brom in yesterday’s behind-closed-doors match. The former played the full 90 minutes, whilst Gamboa was withdrawn with ten minutes left on the clock, and both are now in with a chance of making their full debuts for the Baggies in Saturday’s clash with Everton.

The Scout Says: With Lescott and Gamboa now back in the frame for Alan Irvine’s side, the pitch time of Andre Wisdom, currently the Baggies’ most popular defensive asset, looks seriously under threat. The capture of Lescott in the summer could prove a crucial move by Irvine, with the former Man City centre-back sure to bring a much needed dose of experience and sturdiness to the Midland outfit’s often porous back-line. Gamboa, meanwhile, is available in FPL for just 4.5, and is likely to replace Wisdom at right-back once he’s back to full fitness, and his attacking style could make the Costa Rican a decent budget option for our defences. With Everton, Tottenham, Liverpool and Man United to come in their next five, however, it would seem wise to hold back from any investment in the Baggies’ defence until their gruelling schedule takes a turn for the better in Gameweek 9.