Kieran Gibbs is ruled out for another month after undergoing groin surgery. Phil Jones receives good news on his jaw injury, Davide Santon’s injury paves the way for Ryan Taylor’s return, while Steven Gerrard may be set for a surprise return against Blackburn this weekend…
Sir Alex Ferguson had some good and bad news for Man United fans in his Friday morning press conference. Ferguson confirmed that Ashley Young is due to miss several weeks with a knee injury sustained against Fulham but was pleased to reveal the injury to Phil Jones is not as bad as first expected. It was feared the former Blackburn man would be sidelined after a stray elbow from Clint Dempsey in the 5-0 win over the Cottagers had left him concussed, amid fears of a break, but Fergie revealed:
We have good news on Phil Jones: he should be okay for Monday. He has some swelling in his jaw but there’s no break, no fracture, which is good news.
Steven Gerrard could return from his lengthy spell on the sidelines against Blackburn on Boxing Day. Gerrard has been out for two months with an ankle injury but has now returned to full training and Kenny Dalglish has refused to rule out the idea that his skipper may feature against Steve Kean’s side. The Liverpool boss admitted:
Everything he’s done, he’s done very well. He’s been training, but whether that means he’s ready or not, we’ll have to wait and see.
Marcos Alonso faces up to six weeks on the sidelines with a foot problem. The left-back sustained the injury in Bolton’s midweek match at Blackburn and although there was no break, he will still need surgery to replace the pin that was put in his foot following a similar problem earlier in the year.
Davide Santon is set to miss out on Newcastle’s trip to Bolton with a knee injury. The Italian was subbed off at half-time in the 3-2 defeat to West Brom with pains in the joint but Alan Pardew has revealed he is expected to be available for the game against Liverpool on the 30th December. Pardew also confirmed Ryan Taylor will come straight back into the first XI as a result of Santon’s absence.
Harry Redknapp has revealed Spurs have selection issues in defence ahead of the trip to Norwich. Both Ledley King and Younes Kaboul have picked up hamstring problems and with Rafael Van der Vaart also subbed off last night after suffering yet another tweak, Tottenham could be forced to make a few changes for the Carrow Road encounter.
Kieran Gibbs is ruled out for another month after undergoing groin surgery. With Andre Santos unlikely to be back until March, Arsene Wenger could continue with Thomas Vermaelen at left-back, with plenty of cover in the central defensive area. The Gunners boss also revealed Johan Djourou has “a little chance“ of featuring in the game against Wolves on 27th December.
Wenger went on to admit he could be forced into a reassessing his left-back options, though any possible deal would likely be a loan:
It can only be a short-term solution for us because we have bought Santos, we have Gibbs, we have Vermaelen who can play there, so we do not need a long-term solution.
Owen Coyle has revealed that Chelsea have opened talks with Bolton over the potential transfer of Gary Cahill in the upcoming January window. With Alex now marginalized after his transfer request was accepted, the Blues are lacking in central defensive options and Cahill, priced at 5.2, could be a potential FPL bargain if the move transpires and he establishes himself as a fixture in Andre Villas-Boas’ starting XI.
