Scout Scribbles – Hazard Toe Concern for Belgians

Eden Hazard skips training for Belgium with a toe problem. The injury situation at United is finally starting to clear. Louis van Gaal backs Radamel Falcao to embark on a goal run, Tottenham’s Kyle Naughton could be sidelined for months, whilst Newcastle right-back Daryl Janmaat withdraws from Holland duties with a hamstring injury.

HAZARD SUFFERS TOE SCARE

Eden Hazard missed training with the Belgian national side yesterday after sustaining a toe injury against Arsenal at the weekend. International coach Marc Wilmots has, however, confirmed that the problem does not look too serious:

“His toe looks blue, but there is certainly not a fracture. Hopefully Eden may join the group as soon as possible.”

The Scout Says: Hazard has acquired almost 10,000 new owners since his scintillating weekend performance against the Gunners, all of whom will be hoping that the Belgian’s absence from training is nothing more than a precautionary measure. Hazard now sits just two points behind Cesc Fabregas in the Fantasy Premier League standings, but has an ownership of just 13.7% compared to the Spaniard’s whopping 51.2%. There’s no doubt that he has failed to explode on to the scene this season, but Sunday’s encounter certainly evidenced just what Hazard is capable of when on song, and providing he comes out of the other side of the international break unscathed, the 9.9-priced midfielder looks a real rival for Fabregas in our five-man midfields once again.

INJURIES EASING FOR UNITED

Louis van Gaal is confident that Man United’s extensive injury list is starting to clear up, with the likes of Michael Carrick, Chris Smalling and Phil Jones all now back in light training, and Jonny Evans also taking a step closer to a return after having the protective boot on his ankle injury removed. The Red Devils boss does, however, have worries over young Paddy McNair, who has been forced out of international duties with a potential hamstring injury.

The Scout Says: The likely raft of returns is welcomes news for United fans, but maybe not so much for Fantasy managers, as the array of options is set to present Van Gaal with a real selection headache after the international break. The dilemma in defence looks the most pressing, with Van Gaal surely unlikely to revert to a five-man backline after seeing his side win their last two with four at the back, meaning there will be just four spots to scrap for. Given his injury concerns, McNair’s time in the limelight looks set to come a halt, then, and with Marco Rojo preferred as a the left-sided centre-half, Smalling and Jones look likely to vie for the remaining berth. With increased competition for the centre-back positions, some may feel that investment in United’s full-backs looks the way forward for now, with Rafael underlining his potential with an assist against West Ham in Gameweek 6, though managers should remain conscious of the Red Devils’ appalling upcoming schedule (wba, CHE, mci, CRY, ars) before considering taking the plunge on any of their defensive assets.

Van Gaal anticipates Falcao Goal Glut

Louis van Gaal has stated that he fully expects Radamel Falcao to return from the international break and embark on strong goal scoring form. Having opened his account in the 2-1 win over Everton, the United boss was confident that this would lead to a sustained run of goals…

“He needed that goal. He is a player who will normally make a goal every match and he has had to wait so long. I can understand that but now he has scored it will be better after the international break.”

Van Gaal also went on to explain the Colombian’s withdrawal on 73 minutes, indicating that he earmarked his replacement, James Wilson, as key to dampening the threat from Leighton Baines on the left…

“When you play with the diamond you need to keep your positions and you need to keep pressure on the full-backs. In the second-half, the danger came from Baines. That’s why I changed Falcao for Wilson and he had to play more on the right side.”

The Scout Says: There’s little doubt that Falcao has a record that suggests that he will now kick on: the striker is renowned for bursts of goals throughout his career. In his last season with Monaco, Falcao struck seven goals in seven appearances and, whilst at Atletico Madrid, he fired an astonishing 13 goals over just eight matches. Fantasy managers will undoubtedly be taking note. Falcao’s goal on Sunday will be expected to prompt a run that could see the Colombian confirm his heavy-hitter status and see him rival the strike rate of Diego Costa, Sergio Aguero and Daniel Sturridge. Investing in the optimum heavy-hitter striker(s) is always key to our season, although this term, the options look more varied, making the decision more difficult. At 10.9 in the Fantasy Premier League, Falcao is the cheapest of the top bracket assets, although arguably he seems more likely to share goal scoring responsibilities with the likes of Robin van Persie and Wayne Rooney, while the other targets are undoubtedly their club’s primary source of goals. As we’ve seen, Falcao has also been sacrificed late on by Van Gaal as the United manager shores up his formation in the quest for three points. The striker is yet to complete 90 minutes having been withdrawn on 71, 64 and 72 minutes over his three starts thus far. Van Gaal’s reasoning for his withdrawal against Everton suggests that this will continue to be the case, with Falcao perhaps rarely called upon to occupy wide areas or to track opponents in the dying stages.

FLETCHER FIRED UP

Steven Fletcher has admitted he was disappointed at being dropped by Gus Poyet last month, but now believes he is ready to prove his doubters wrong after his weekend brace against Stoke:

“If you are not playing, you at least want to be on the bench, so I am not going to say I was happy about it (being left out). I was angry. The manager wanted a reaction and he got a positive reaction, which was good. I am glad I am off the mark. It has been a long time coming with injuries and stuff.”

The Scout Says: Fletcher’s weekend brace puts him only one goal away from equaling his entire tally for the 2013/14 season, and has surely convinced Poyet that he is now up to the task after an unconvincing first few weeks of the current campaign. The Scot is now level on points with team-mate Connor Wickham, despite having played almost 300 minutes less than the former Ipswich striker, and, at 5.3, is also the cheaper of the two. With a trip to Southampton and the visit of Arsenal to the Stadium of Light to come in the next two Gameweeks, however, Fletcher is unlikely to add too significantly to his 0.4% ownership for now, though proceeding trips to Crystal Palace and Leicester could offer the 27-year-old the chance to advertise his services further, and perhaps add his name to the ever-growing list of budget forward options available to managers this season.

NAUGHTON CONCERNS FOR SPURS

Reports suggest that Tottenham right back Kyle Naughton could be out for up to three months after picking up an ankle injury against Southampton.

The Scout Says: Having been forced off the field after just 31 minutes on Sunday after a challenge from Ryan Bertrand, Naughton subsequently left White Hart Lane on crutches, with the signs somewhat worrying for the north London club. With Kyle Walker still sidelined after undergoing abdominal surgery, a prolonged absence for Naughton should ensure Eric Dier continues at right-back after the England Under-21 defender replaced Naughton at the weekend. Dier was the subject of a monumental early-season bandwagon after notching in each of the opening two Gameweeks and with Mauricio Pochettino’s side set to face a kind run of fixtures once the Gameweek 8 trip to Man City is out of the way (NEW, avl, STO, hul), he seems poised to benefit as Spurs look to build on their clean sheet against the Saints two days ago. At 5.5, though, his price may deter some, whereas Danny Rose and Younes Kaboul come in at just 5.0 apiece.

JANMAAT FORCED OUT OF HOLLAND SQUAD

Newcastle’s Daryl Janmaat has withdrawn from international duties with Holland after sustaining a hamstring problem in the Magpies’ 2-2 draw with Swansea on Saturday.

The Scout Says: A goal back in Gameweek 3 has ensured that Janmaat sits atop the rankings for Newcastle defenders, with 20 points, and Alan Pardew will be keen to see the right-back fit for his side’s clash with Leicester in two weekends’ time. A potential spell on the sidelines, though, could maybe bring Ryan Taylor in from the cold – the versatile defender continues to build up his fitness after long-term injury and is approaching full fitness. The Tynesiders have struggled at the back in recent matches, though, with an average of 2.4 goals conceded in the last five league fixtures indicative of their rearguard assets’ current lack of form, and with clean sheets looking hard to come by, few will be prepared to invest in Newcastle defence right now.