With there likely to be no Premier League football until May, several players who are currently sidelined through injury could be nearing a comeback by the time we see a ball kicked again.
We take a closer look at the fitness situation for all 20 top-flight sides in the article below, summarising the latest updates on each player and documenting any possible return dates.
Arsenal
Calum Chambers (£4.3m) is a long-term absentee for the Gunners, with his rehabilitation from a knee injury sustained in December expected to take six to nine months.
Lucas Torreira (£4.7m) sustained a fractured ankle at the beginning of this month, meanwhile, and was ruled out for eight to ten weeks.
That gives the Uruguay international a chance of returning just in time for the resumption of Premier League football, with Mikel Arteta having expressed confidence in him featuring again in 2019/20 even before the COVID-19 outbreak put the season on ice.
Bukayo Saka (£4.6m) will likely have two challengers for his shirt when we do resume, with Sead Kolasinac (£5.2m) expected back in full training at the end of March following a shoulder injury and Kieran Tierney (£5.3m) already involved with the first team following a lengthy lay-off.
Cedric Soares (£4.8m) is now available for selection, meanwhile, after recovering from a knee problem.
Aston Villa
Tom Heaton (£4.3m) and Wesley Moraes (£5.5m) both suffered knee ligament injuries in January and were subsequently ruled out for the season.
With the Premier League on hold for the time being, the pair could potentially be nearing a return by the time the 2019/20 campaign reaches a delayed conclusion.
However, the pair were not included in Aston Villa’s revised 25-man squad at the beginning of February – so can’t play even if fit.
A former Fantasy favourite we will likely see again this season is John McGinn (£5.4m).
The Scotland international has resumed full-contact training after a three-month layoff and was reportedly set for a place on the bench in Gameweek 31, had it gone ahead.
A potential April return for back-up goalkeeper Jed Steer (£4.3m) had previously been earmarked, meanwhile.
Bournemouth
David Brooks (£6.2m) and Arnaut Danjuma (£5.8m) have rejoined training with the Cherries, along with Lloyd Kelly (£4.4m).
Chris Mepham (£4.3m) is not far behind them, meanwhile, having already done rehab work on the grass.
Simon Francis (£4.4m) and Josh King (£6.1m) missed the defeat to Liverpool in Gameweek 29 with knee and hamstring injuries respectively, although King’s issue was described as “minor” by Eddie Howe.
Philip Billing (£5.0m) came off with a back problem in that match at Anfield, while Steve Cook (£5.0m) departed early with a hamstring strain.
Howe said afterwards that Cook would be out of action for “a number of weeks”.
Charlie Daniels (£4.2m) has been sidelined since August with a dislocated patella and the veteran left-back was expected to be out of action for the remainder of 2019/20.
Brighton and Hove Albion
Jose Izquierdo (£5.4m) has been injured since the end of last season but is “making progress” and has already had some training time with the Brighton squad.
Two of Albion’s young players have used the downtime to go under the knife: Steven Alzate (£4.5m) and Aaron Connolly (£4.3m) have undergone groin and ankle surgery respectively but are expected to make a swift return.
Burnley
Ashley Barnes (£6.1m) should be in contention when the Premier League finally resumes, having already played an hour of a behind-closed-doors match earlier this month following his recovery from hernia surgery.
Jay Rodriguez (£5.7m), who took his place in the Burnley starting XI, is the latest addition to the Clarets’ injury list.
Sean Dyche said Rodriguez’s knee injury is “not as serious as it could have been” but no timeframe has been put on his return.
Matthew Lowton (£4.2m) and Johann Berg Gudmundsson (£5.9m) had both been ruled out of Gameweek 30 with ongoing knee and calf problems but again, there has been no comeback date set for the pair.
Chelsea
Jorginho (£4.9m) will miss Chelsea’s next league match through suspension but Frank Lampard should be able to welcome back a host of players from injury when the Premier League returns.
N’Golo Kante (£5.0m) and Tammy Abraham (£7.5m) were both expected to be ready to feature after the March international break, while Lampard previously said that Mateo Kovacic (£5.3m) would miss the Gameweek 29 clash with Everton but “not be long after that”.
The Chelsea boss had reported that Christian Pulisic (£6.9m) and Ruben Loftus-Cheek (£6.3m) had featured in an in-house match earlier this month, meanwhile, as they attempt to build up their match-fitness.
That leaves Callum Hudson-Odoi (£5.2m) as the only real uncertainty.
The Chelsea winger is making progress in his recovery from COVID-19 but had previously suffered a relapse in his recovery from a hamstring problem, with Lampard saying at the beginning of March that he would be out “longer than expected.”
Crystal Palace
The Eagles have, so far as we know, a clean bill of health at present.
Injured loanee Cenk Tosun (£5.7m) has returned to parent club Everton to have knee surgery but there are otherwise no known issues at Selhurst Park.
Everton
Seamus Coleman (£5.3m) had been ruled out for “at least the next two games” ahead of Gameweek 29, which would have seen him sidelined until after the March international break with a thigh problem.
The Ireland international ought to be fine by May, then, while Jean-Philippe Gbamin (£4.8m) may also be available, given that he was expected back eight weeks after undergoing surgery in late-January.
A return date for Morgan Schneiderlin (£4.4m) is unknown after the midfielder underwent knee surgery, while Bernard (£6.4m) was taken off at half-time of the defeat to Chelsea in Gameweek 29 with a knock.
Leicester City
Even with a delay to the season, we may not see Ricardo Pereira (£6.3m) again in 2019/20.
The Portugal international has been ruled out for four to six months with an ACL injury, which will mean a return in mid-July at the very earliest.
Daniel Amartey (£4.3m) is currently sidelined after having ankle surgery, meanwhile.
James Maddison (£7.5m) ought to be fit by the time the Premier League is back underway again, with Brendan Rodgers having said of the England midfielder just over a week ago:
Maddison will be out for a few weeks, probably until after the international break. It’s his calf, a tightness in his calf.
It’s not too serious, but probably he’s got the next week and then the international break, and then he’ll be fit after that.
Liverpool
Adrian‘s (£4.0m) latest stint between the posts will be a short-lived one, with Alisson (£6.2m) likely to be fit by the time Gameweek 36 – should we be in a position to proceed – comes around.
Jurgen Klopp said of the Brazilian shot-stopper a fortnight ago:
I would say after the international break he is back 100 per cent.
Nathaniel Clyne, Caoimhin Kelleher (£4.4m) and Xherdan Shaqiri (£6.3m) were all sidelined as of Gameweek 29, although Clyne has returned to training after a long-term absence.
Manchester City
Aymeric Laporte (£6.3m) was ruled out for three to four weeks at the very end of February, so should be nearing full fitness soon.
Leroy Sane (£9.3m) and Kevin De Bruyne (£10.6m) both took part in an 11 v 11 training match on the day that Manchester City’s postponed Gameweek 29 clash with Arsenal was due to take place, meanwhile.
Manchester United
The mouth-watering prospect of Marcus Rashford (£8.9m) being able to join forces with Bruno Fernandes (£8.5m) and Anthony Martial (£7.9m) this season is a very real possibility now that the 2019/20 campaign is likely to drag on into the summer months.
Ole Gunnar Solskjaer has been typically vague about when Rashford will return but had previously expressed hope that the England international would be able to play a part this season, even before it was extended.
Paul Pogba (£8.3m) is also nearing a comeback, with Solskjaer having said that the Frenchman would be “ready” to train with the Red Devils after the postponed Gameweek 30 clash with Spurs.
Elsewhere, Diogo Dalot (£4.9m) and Jesse Lingard (£6.3m) missed the 5-0 win over LASK earlier this month with what are thought to be minor injuries, while back-up goalkeeper Lee Grant (£4.8m) is expected to be fit by May.
Newcastle United
Martin Dubravka (£5.0m) was ruled out for “at least a month” with a knee injury ahead of what would have been Gameweek 30 but may now return without missing a match if a May restart is possible.
Much like Heaton and Wesley at Aston Villa, Paul Dummett (£4.4m) and Jetro Willems (£4.4m) were not named in Newcastle’s revised 25-man squads in February after sustaining what the Magpies thought were season-ending injuries – so even if they make swift recoveries (as Dummett might) and 2019/20 is still ongoing, they won’t be able to feature.
Ciaran Clark‘s (£4.3m) ankle surgery would likely have ruled him out of Euro 2020 had it gone ahead, so there is no guarantee that the Ireland international will feature for the Magpies even if 2019/20 finishes in June.
Emil Krafth (£4.3m) is back in training with Steve Bruce’s side, with the Newcastle boss also confirming that Andy Carroll (£5.4m) was in contention ahead of what should have been an FA Cup quarter-final tie against Manchester City his weekend.
Norwich City
Onel Hernandez‘s (£5.3m) injury was fairly well-timed, as his eight-week layoff from knee surgery should see him returning by early May.
Sam Byram (£4.4m) is some way behind his teammate in terms of a recovery, with his hamstring injury ruling him out until mid-June.
Timm Klose (£4.3m) is back in full training after recovering from knee damage sustained in August but will likely need some match practice before he is back up to full speed.
Sheffield United
Sheffield United’s sole injury concern should be resolved long before the Premier League is back in full swing.
Enda Stevens (£5.1m) was ruled out for just a “couple of weeks” by his manager ahead of Gameweek 29, so will have adequate time to recover from his niggling calf injury.
Southampton
Moussa Djenepo (£5.2m) will be suspended for Southampton’s next three matches after being sent off for violent conduct against Newcastle United a fortnight ago.
Southampton’s only injury concern at present is Nathan Redmond (£6.2m), who was ruled out for one to two months by Ralph Hasenhuttl back in mid-February.
Tottenham Hotspur
We could have two heavy-hitters back for the resumption of the Premier League, with Harry Kane (£10.8m) and Son Heung-min (£9.8m) potentially in line for a return for the delayed conclusion of 2019/20.
Kane had previously stated that he anticipated to be back between the “start and middle of April”, a sentiment that Jose Mourinho recently echoed.
Son was expected back in rehab at the start of last week, meanwhile, and Mourinho had recently floated the possibility of the South Korea international playing with a cast on his arm in order to feature before the end of the regulation season.
Moussa Sissoko (£4.8m) and Ben Davies (£5.3m) are already back in full training for the Lilywhites, meanwhile, with Davies having recovered from a minor hamstring problem.
Sissoko has been out since January but said that he was “fine” on Friday and building up his match-fitness.
Steven Bergwijn (£7.4m) was ruled out for the rest of the season after sustaining an ankle injury against Burnley in Gameweek 29 but, with 2019/20 now extended, it remains to be seen if the Dutch winger can now play any sort of part in Spurs’ stuttering campaign.
Watford
The Hornets’ 3-0 win over Liverpool in Gameweek 28 came at a cost, with Gerard Deulofeu (£6.1m) suffering a knee injury that was set to keep him out for the rest of 2019/20 – although whether he could now feature at any point in the reshaped season is another question.
Watford have no real other concerns, with Daryl Janmaat (£4.0m) back in full training after four months on the sidelines.
West Ham United
Ryan Fredericks (£4.4m) is on course for a return by mid-April after sustaining shoulder damage in Gameweek 26, while Andriy Yarmolenko (£5.2m) is back in full training and has already featured in a practice match after recovering from a thigh problem.
Jack Wilshere (£4.7m) has reportedly been training with the under-23s but there are no guarantees that he’ll feature again in 2019/20.
Wolverhampton Wanderers
Jonny (£5.4m) and Morgan Gibbs-White (£4.7m) are the two players on the treatment table at Wolves at present, with no return date set for the pair.
Nuno Espirito Santo said this week that Gibbs-White was “getting better” but “not good”, while earlier this month said that Jonny would “need time” to get back up to full fitness.
4 years, 2 months ago
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I was hoping people would continue to make transfers and I could ride up a couple of thousand places, but may as well just ignore the site if it's going to be like this. No point actually making transfers as the end of the season is a complete lottery.