FPL Gameweek 4 team news: Injury updates on Pulisic, Son, Mane, Vardy and more

Our weekly press conference summary rounds up the headline injury news and stand-out manager quotes from the pre-match conference calls.

MANCHESTER UNITED V TOTTENHAM HOTSPUR

The Son Heung-min (hamstring) injury saga drags on, with the Korean having initially been ruled out until after the international break but now apparently having an outside chance of being fit for Sunday’s match against Manchester United.

Speaking after full-time in the Europa League win over Maccabi Haifa on Thursday night, Jose Mourinho said:

I don’t believe [he can play]. But because he is so optimistic and always trying to give us positive feelings and hopes, I don’t want to say he is completely out – because maybe he can surprise us.

Giovani Lo Celso (knock) is also a doubt, with the Spurs boss saying:

Apart from Lo Celso, who is a question mark for Sunday, no more problems.

United appear to be relatively injury-free bar Phil Jones (knee) and Axel Tuanzebe (foot), with Ole Gunnar Solskjaer saying of Harry Maguire (knock):

Harry [Maguire] had a knock after the league game, a big hole in his ankle! He should be okay. Apart from that I think we’re okay, no more injuries from the cup game.

CHELSEA V CRYSTAL PALACE

Only Hakim Ziyech (knee) and Billy Gilmour (knee) remain on the injury list at Chelsea with Christian Pulisic (hamstring) set to be involved for the Blues against Crystal Palace on Saturday – but not from the start.

Frank Lampard told reporters:

Pulisic is in the squad for tomorrow. He won’t start the match because of the injury he’s had and it’s been a difficult injury but I am very keen to get him back in there. It’s great to have him back for himself and for the boost he gives the team because he’s an important player for us. Hakim Ziyech is getting closer but he’s not quite fit enough to be on the bench.

Jeffrey Schlupp (muscle) and Nathan Ferguson (knee) remain out for Palace while the game will very likely come too soon for Gary Cahill (hamstring), James Tomkins (thigh) and Patrick van Aanholt (shoulder) despite that trio’s return to training.

Roy Hodgson said:

They’re gradually coming back but obviously, they’ve been out for a long time so they’re not really ready to go straight back into the team. This week we’ve seen the re-emergence of Gary Cahill, James Tomkins and Patrick van Aanholt. We’re limiting the contact work as far as he [Van Aanholt] is concerned as it’s a shoulder injury but it’s good to see those guys back in training.

The Palace boss also said that he “can’t put a timescale” on Ferguson’s return, with his recovery from a knee injury a “slow process”.

LEEDS UNITED V MANCHESTER CITY

Pablo Hernandez (groin) and Adam Forshaw (hip) remain Leeds United’s only two confirmed injury-related absentees for the visit of Manchester City but Jack Harrison is ineligible to play against his parent club.

Marcelo Bielsa all but confirmed that Ezgjan Alioski would come into the side, saying that the Macedonia international “is able to do as well or better than Harrison” in the left-wing role.

Gabriel Jesus (muscle) and Sergio Aguero (knee) remain out for City, while Ilkay Gundogan isn’t likely to feature after his period of self-isolation.

Ruben Dias could be involved, however, with Pep Guardiola saying:

[Dias] trained twice – yesterday and today. He settled good. He is part of the team, we have a training session this afternoon.

Today was the first day [Gundogan] came back to the locker room, but he didn’t train with us. He will train with us during the international break and we will see.

EVERTON V BRIGHTON AND HOVE ALBION

Jonjoe Kenny (ankle), Allan (muscle) and Andre Gomes (unspecified) all picked up injuries for Everton in midweek and will sit out Saturday’s match against Brighton, while Richarlison (ankle) faces a late fitness test.

Carlo Ancelotti told reporters on Friday:

Allan, after the international break he will be ready. Jonjoe is out for 4 weeks. The twist on his ankle is quite serious. Gomes, I think he will be ready [soon]. If we played Sunday or Monday he would be fine. It is a little thing.

Richarlison we are trying to [get him fit]. He is better. We are going to have a test tomorrow morning and see if he is available to play or not.

An international break follows Gameweek 4, with James Rodriguez and Yerry Mina set to be in action for Colombia just over three days before the Merseyside derby in mid-October.

Asked about Rodriguez, Ancelotti said:

He doesn’t have a lot of time to recover, I hope he can recover well for the game against Liverpool. If he doesn’t – he’s going on the bench!

Long-term absentees Jose Izquierdo (knee), Christian Walton (ankle) and Florin Andone (knee) remain out for Albion, while Saturday’s clash with Everton looks to have come too soon for Alireza Jahanbakhsh (hamstring) and Davy Propper (Achilles).

Yves Bissouma returns from suspension, however.

LEICESTER CITY V WEST HAM UNITED

Jamie Vardy (hip) and Jonny Evans (calf) are expected to be fit for Gameweek 4, although Dennis Praet (knee) faces a late fitness test.

Brendan Rodgers told reporters on Friday:

Jonny is fine. Thankfully he just felt it a little tight but it was more having played his first game, so he was okay,” the Leicester manager commented on Friday.

And like I said afterwards, Jamie is absolutely fine. He has this little something in his hip which takes a few days to settle down and he’s fine, he’s okay.

Dennis, we’ll see how he is. He’s trained but we just need to see what the reaction is for that. Obviously, he came off but that wasn’t as serious as what we thought.

Issa Diop and Josh Cullen have been back in training following their stints in self-isolation so could come into the reckoning against Leicester this weekend.

David Moyes will be forced into at least one change, however, with Ryan Fredericks (hamstring) ruled out until after the international break.

ASTON VILLA V LIVERPOOL

Sadio Mane has tested positive for COVID-19 in the run-up to Sunday’s clash with Aston Villa, so the Senegal international will miss out in Gameweek 4 as he embarks on a period of self-isolation.

Joel Matip (muscle), Kostas Tsimikas (thigh), Thiago Alcantara (illness) and Alex Oxlade-Chamberlain (knee) are unavailable but Jordan Henderson was declared injury-free by his manager in Friday’s pre-match press conference.

Match fitness could still be an issue for the club captain, however, with Jurgen Klopp saying:

Hendo will be part of parts of the training today. So he absolutely has no muscle issues, it’s all fine, he’s not injured anymore and now we have to make sure he can make the next step. What that means for the weekend, I don’t know.

Jack Grealish has trained after sustaining a dead leg early on in Monday’s win over Fulham, a match the Villa talisman finished despite that early knock.

Bjorn Engels (thigh), Wesley (knee) and Tom Heaton (knee) remain out, while Kortney Hause (muscle) was added to the injury list on Thursday and Orjan Nyland has been struggling with a back problem for the last fortnight. 

Dean Smith confirmed that Ross Barkley was “in his thoughts” following his loan move from Chelsea.

WOLVERHAMPTON WANDERERS V FULHAM

There was predictably no clear-cut update on Daniel Podence (shoulder) or Marcal (calf) from Nuno Espirito Santo on Friday, with the Wolves boss only saying:

We have some issues still to attend [to], players that are recovering, players that have knocks from the previous games. So we still have tomorrow to determine who is going to be in the squad.

Podence has been named in the Portugal squad, at least, which raises hopes that he is fit for this weekend.

Scott Parker confirmed that Kenny Tete (calf) and Mario Lemina (unspecified) will miss the match against Wolves and that Harrison Reed (unspecified) is “touch and go”.

New signing Ademola Lookman will be involved this weekend “in some capacity”.

NEWCASTLE UNITED V BURNLEY

Steve Bruce has problems at centre-half, with Ciaran Clark (thigh) and Paul Dummett (match fitness) ruled out and Jamaal Lascelles (hamstring) described as a “bit of a problem” for the weekend.

Matt Ritchie (shoulder), Matty Longstaff (thigh), Martin Dubravka (heel) and Dwight Gayle (knee) remain absentees and Emil Krafth (hip) and DeAndre Yedlin (knock) are doubts, but there is better news on the fitness front elsewhere with Jamal Lewis (eye) clocking up 90 minutes against Newport County in midweek and Allan Saint-Maximin (ankle) nearing a return.

Steve Bruce said of Saint-Maximin:

It looks as if he could be fit. A big day for him today but he’s trained all week. We decided not to risk him against Newport. We hope Allan is well, he’s got over his ankle injury and we’re glad to see him back.

Jack Cork (ankle), Ben Mee (thigh), Matthew Lowton (knock) and Jay Rodriguez (ankle) are set to miss Saturday’s game against Newcastle, with Johann Berg Gudmundsson (knee) and Robbie Brady (rib) rated as “touch and go”.

James Tarkowski made his return from a bruised toe against Manchester City in midweek, while Ashley Barnes also made a competitive playing comeback in the EFL Cup on Wednesday after nine months on the sidelines.

ARSENAL V SHEFFIELD UNITED

Arsenal have yet to issue their regular pre-match injury bulletin ahead of Sunday’s clash with Sheffield United but Emile Smith Rowe (shoulder), Pablo Mari (ankle), Gabriel Martinelli (knee), Shkodran Mustafi (hamstring) and Calum Chambers (knee) are all expected to remain out.

Cedric Soares (calf) and Kieran Tierney (groin) both made playing returns in the last week.

Lys Mousset (toe) and Jack O’Connell (knee) remain out for the Blades but John Egan returns from suspension for his side’s trip to north London.

SOUTHAMPTON V WEST BROMWICH ALBION

Nathan Redmond (ankle) has been back in training this week and Ralph Hasenhuttl says that the winger “is an option” for the visit of West Bromwich Albion this weekend.

The Saints otherwise have a fully fit squad.

Kieran Gibbs is still suspended for the Baggies but Conor Gallagher is in the frame to feature, having been ineligible to face his parent club in Gameweek 3.

The game may come too soon for Filip Krovinovic, though, who has only rejoined Albion in the last week.

More detailed information and predicted line-ups can be found in the Team News tab, which will be refreshed before the Gameweek 4 deadline at 11:00 BST on Saturday.

Keep an eye on our Twitter feed, too, for any late-breaking updates.

A video round-up with Andy and Neale can be viewed below:

Lessons Learned from FPL Gameweek 3

• Brighton and Hove Albion 2-3 Manchester United
• Crystal Palace 1-2 Everton
• West Bromwich Albion 3-3 Chelsea
• Burnley 0-1 Southampton
• Sheffield United 0-1 Leeds United
• Tottenham Hotspur 1-1 Newcastle United
• Manchester City 2-5 Leicester City
• West Ham United 4-0 Wolverhampton Wanderers
• Fulham 0-3 Aston Villa
• Liverpool 3-1 Arsenal