A very busy day of team news awaits us as 16 Premier League managers face the media ahead of Saturday’s Gameweek 4 deadline.
We’ll be bringing you the latest key quotes and team news updates in the ‘live’ article below, so keep checking back for the latest updates.
For the headline updates from Thursday’s four pressers, click here.
GAMEWEEK 4: KEY INJURY UPDATES FROM FRIDAY’S PRESSERS
- Liverpool: Slot on Isak’s fitness, Frimpong trains, Jones out
- Chelsea: Palmer trains, Delap out for 10-12 weeks, question mark over Pedro +_others
- Manchester City: Ait-Nouri, Cherki + Marmoush out, Stones a doubt
- Arsenal: Saka still out, Saliba trains, White available
- Newcastle United: Wissa + Ramsey out, Gordon still suspended, Joelinton fit, Woltemade ready
- Manchester United: Altay to start, Cunha, Mount + Dalot out
- Tottenham Hotspur: No fresh injuries, Simons + Kolo Muani set to be in the squad
- Crystal Palace: Sarr, Wharton + Nketiah timelines confirmed, Pino fit
- Wolverhampton Wanderers: Strand Larsen ruled out, Hoever a doubt
- Everton: Ndiaye + Mykolenko slight doubts, Branthwaite still out
- Aston Villa: Four remain out, Martinez available, three new signings in contention
- Brighton and Hove Albion: March + Webster out, Wieffer to be assessed, Hurzeler on his internationals
- Bournemouth: Smith out for “weeks”, Cook trains but not 100%
- Brentford: Janelt available, ill Kayode recovers, Maghoma + Nunes still out
- Fulham: No fresh worries, new signings in contention to feature
- Burnley: Three still out but Ekdal fine
FRIDAY’S PRESS CONFERENCE TIMES
🚨 Friday's FPL Press Conferences
🕊️ 9am – Hurzeler
🔴 9am – Slot
⚫️ 9.30am – Howe
🧿 10am – Maresca
🍒 12pm – Iraola
🔵 12.30pm – Guardiola
🐺 1pm – Pereira
👹 1.15pm – Amorim
⭕️ 1.30pm – Arteta
🐝 1.30pm – Andrews
🍷 1.30pm – Parker
🦅 1.30pm – Glasner
🍬 1.30pm – Moyes
⬜️… pic.twitter.com/xAEEHUgYZ2— Fantasy Football Scout (@FFScout) September 12, 2025
LIVERPOOL
Alexander Isak got his first minutes of 2025/26 with Sweden over the international break.
But the striker was reduced to one cameo with his national team, and Arne Slot said on Friday that we can expect managed game-time for his new record signing over the coming weeks.
“The Swedish manager, Jon Dahl Tomasson, deserves a big, big, big compliment because he gets one of the best, maybe the best, strikers in the world in and he needs to play two very important games for his country but understands that if he would play him twice for 90 minutes, then probably the player would have been injured for multiple weeks. And that’s not always easy for a manager, that he takes care of the interest of the player.
“We will treat Alex the same as [Sweden] did. So, don’t expect him to play every single game 90 minutes on the pitch, that’s definitely not going to happen in the upcoming weeks. He missed a proper pre-season, I think he missed three or four months of team sessions. So, now we have to build him up gradually. With us playing so many games, hardly any training time – so that’s going to be a challenge. But we’ve signed him not only for the upcoming two weeks, we’ve signed him for six years.
“This is what we have to keep in mind, and what the fans have to keep in mind, if they see that I take him off at a certain moment or I only bring him in for a small amount of minutes. That’s all for the long-term fitness of the player.” – Arne Slot on Alexander Isak
On the injury front, Curtis Jones (unspecified issue) and Stefan Bajcetic (hamstring) are the only definite absentees for the trip to Burnley.
Slot confirmed that his internationals had returned unscathed.
“Curtis Jones… got injured in the last game, so he will not be available for the game against Burnley, but I think the rest of them all came back without a problem.” – Arne Slot
Jeremie Frimpong (hamstring) wasn’t mentioned by name but he has returned to training over the international break.
CHELSEA
Cole Palmer trained for the first time with his teammates on Thursday, almost three weeks after he pulled out of Chelsea’s Gameweek 2 starting XI with a groin complaint.
Enzo Maresca said a late decision will be taken on the midfielder’s involvement against Brentford.
“Cole took part of the session yesterday for the first time, not the entire session. Today in the afternoon we have one more session, we’re going to try with him, if he’s okay, otherwise he will be out tomorrow again.
“No, no [it’s not about managing], it was an injury, he’s recovering from the injury, so it’s not managing him, it’s just recovery from the injury. For sure, in the moment that he’s available, we also probably need to think to manage, a little bit, him because of the amount of games.” – Enzo Maresca on Cole Palmer
Maresca added that there is also a “question mark” over Moises Caicedo, Joao Pedro, Estevao and Andrey Santos for Saturday’s game because of their international commitments and late returns from South America.
“The three Brazilian players, they arrived yesterday. They didn’t train. They did some recovery session. Moi arrived last night, so I didn’t see him. I will see him today. So for all of them, it’s a question mark for tomorrow. But when they play in Bolivia [as Brazil did in midweek], it’s so difficult that they can be back very soon.” – Enzo Maresca
Elsewhere, Mykhailo Mudryk remains suspended, while Levi Colwill is out long-term with a knee injury.
Liam Delap (hamstring) is also now out for up to three months.
“Liam, I think, is around 10-12 weeks. A long way to go!” – Enzo Maresca on Liam Delap
Benoit Badiashile and Romeo Lavia returned to training over the international break and we await an update on their availability.
Reece James started twice for England over the last week, with Maresca asked about his game-time given how carefully he has managed him at club.
“In the moment that any player joins the international team, he’s free to play the minutes that the manager thinks that he has to play. So, it’s not in my hands. When Reece is here, we try to manage him as much as we can. Since I joined the club, I’m doing that with him, with Romeo [Lavia], with Wes [Fofana], with the ones that in the past, they had problems. But I think now Reece is showing that he’s quite fit to play two, three games in a week.” – Enzo Maresca on Reece James
Maresca will be able to call upon Alejandro Garnacho for the first time this weekend – but don’t expect a start.
“He’s working well. For sure, he needs to work because he arrived here probably not 100% fit. So, he needs to work. He’s working well and we’ll see. But hopefully, soon we can give him minutes.” – Enzo Maresca on Alejandro Garnacho
Marc Guiu, recalled from his loan at Sunderland, might well be troubling the starting XI, however, with doubts over Palmer and factoring in Pedro’s international exertions.
“We have the injury, for sure, now in this moment, in the number nine. The only one is [Marc] Guiu and Joao [Pedro] also can play there. Against Fulham, we use Tyrique [George] as a nine, so we can also think about him.” – Enzo Maresca
MANCHESTER CITY
Omar Marmoush (knee), Rayan Ait-Nouri (unspecified) and Rayan Cherki (thigh) will all miss the Manchester derby.
We assume Mateo Kovacic (Achilles) is also still sidelined, despite the lack of a mention from Pep Guardiola on Friday.
John Stones (muscle) is a doubt, meanwhile, after withdrawing from England duty.
Apart from that, though, Guardiola says he has a clean bill of health.
That presumably means that Abdukodir Khusanov, Rico Lewis and Neco O’Reilly are all fine after pulling out of their national team squads over the last fortnight. It also sounds good regarding Josko Gvardiol, Marcus Bettinelli and Savinho, who have been absent for a longer period.
All of those players, indeed, were seen in training over the break.
“Omar is injured, came from Egypt. Rayan Ait-Nouri, Rayan Cherki.
“The rest are fine – apparently.
“[John] Stones, as well, is a doubt. It’s not a big, big issue but is a doubt for Sunday.” – Pep Guardiola
“He has to make the last tests, but a few weeks I think. Before or after the [next] international break, will be ready.” – Pep Guardiola on Omar Marmoush
Predictably, Guardiola wouldn’t be drawn on whether Gianluigi Donnarumma or James Trafford would start between the posts.
ARSENAL
Bukayo Saka remains out after picking up a hamstring injury in the win over Leeds United in Gameweek 2.
“Bukayo’s out, still out, and he’s trying to get back as quick as possible, but we need to respect that process.
“Let’s see, he’s evolving really well, with very specific work at the moment. The moment that we increase that load, let’s see how he reacts.
“Not yet [ruled out of upcoming games].” – Mikel Arteta
Kai Havertz (knee) and Gabriel Jesus (knee) are also still sidelined but it’s otherwise good news on the team news front.
“[Kai Havertz] is looking really good, he’s walking freely. He’s starting to load the knee and has started to do some bits. As I said before, I think we’re taking it from weeks to months. But knowing Kai, I cannot give you any timescale because I know what he’s going to try to do, same with Gabi Jesus. So I think he’s in a good moment. It was a very tough decision for him to go and have that procedure done. But I think it was necessary and it was the right decision from the medical team to persuade him to do that.” – Mikel Arteta
Christian Norgaard and Ben White had already returned to training, while William Saliba (ankle) did likewise on Friday despite hobbling out of the Liverpool game a fortnight ago.
“Willi trained today, and the rest, as usual, and Ben White as well. Ben’s is okay.” – Mikel Arteta
“Willi trained today, so we’ll have a decision to make whether we play him or not. Very good news.” – Mikel Arteta
There are also no new concerns from the international break.
Away from injury news, Piero Hincapie could be in the Gunners’ squad for the first time.
“He’s a player that we monitored for years, and he became available. Obviously we had the departure of Jakub [Kiwior], as well, and we needed another player in that position who could upgrade what we had, play in different positions, play in different formations. He’s a player that obviously has a lot of experience already at his age, so very, very happy to have him.
“Yeah, he’s ready to go. He’s trained only two days with us. He had a long travel with the national team, a very successful game at the end against Argentina. But overall, he’s available.” – Mikel Arteta on Hincapie
NEWCASTLE UNITED
Yoane Wissa will miss Newcastle’s clash with Wolverhampton Wanderers after returning from international duty with a knee injury.
Eddie Howe says that the striker will need more tests before a proper diagnosis can be made.
“Unfortunately, not [available], no. He won’t make this game. I saw him for the first time yesterday and he’s feeling the effects of the [knee] injury sustained just before he came off [while on international duty]. So, we’re going to have to see how he is.
“I think he’ll go away for tests and maybe see a specialist to see [the extent of the issue].” – Eddie Howe on Yoane Wissa
The Magpies will also be without Jacob Ramsey for Saturday’s match: he faces a month out with an ankle issue.
“Jacob Ramsey is the only other injury concern. He’ll miss the game, having suffered from that tackle against Leeds. His ankle swelled up at half-time and he had to come off.
“Unfortunately, I think he’ll be missing until the next international break, so that’s a big blow.” – Eddie Howe on Jacob Ramsey
Anthony Gordon remains suspended, too.
Joelinton (thigh) is at least fit again, while new signing Nick Woltemade is ready to make his debut.
“He’s fine [for Wolves]. He’s trained well and we’ve been really, really pleased with how he’s looked in the first couple of days. Big change for him, big opportunity for him as well. He’s got a great nature, a great character. He’s very calm, he’s gone straight into our training and not looked out of place. He’s shown his qualities. So, yeah, really pleased with how he’s settled in.
“I think we always view it very much individually [when considering whether to start a new signing straight away]. I don’t think there’s a set formula for new players. It all depends on your need and, as you say, their fitness and form. I have no hesitation playing any of the new players currently.” – Eddie Howe on Nick Woltemade
“Joe[linton] has trained. He’s been fit and available, he’s been out on the training pitch and he’s looked good. Really happy to welcome him back, such an important player.” – Eddie Howe
Howe added that Lewis Hall has “benefitted” from staying on Tyneside over the September break and is in a “much better condition” but stressed that the Magpies have to “manage him right” on his return from a long-term injury.
The Newcastle boss will also check in with Bruno Guimaraes after the midfielder played at high altitude in Bolivia on Wednesday morning.
MANCHESTER UNITED
Ruben Amorim confirmed that Matheus Cunha (hamstring), Mason Mount (unknown) and Diogo Dalot (muscle) will all miss the Manchester derby.
“I think they are out for this game. I don’t know how long it is going to take. We need those players to be a very, very competitive team, but we have very good players that are eager to play, so we will be competitive on Sunday, but they are out, they cannot help us in this game.
“I don’t want to say [how long they will be out]. If you talk with Cunha, if you catch Cunha outside, he will say he can play this game! So I don’t know. We will manage day by day, but they are pushing hard and that is a good thing.” – Ruben Amorim on Messrs Cunha, Mount and Dalot
Lisandro Martinez (knee) is still on the sidelines, too.
Despite the arrival of new goalkeeper Senne Lammens, Amorim revealed that Altay Bayindir will start between the posts at the Etihad.
Andre Onana departed from Trabzonspor on loan this week.
“Altay is going to continue because it’s a different league [for Lammens], it’s a different country, different training, different ball, so we try to maintain that and they will fight for the position. So, for me, for this game, it’s clear, Altay will start.” – Rubem Amorim
TOTTENHAM HOTSPUR
Dominic Solanke (ankle) isn’t fit enough to return for Spurs against West Ham United this weekend.
Radu Dragusin (knee), James Maddison (knee) and Dejan Kulusevski (knee) are out longer term, too.
“Everyone is fine, everyone returned from international duties well, so that’s always positive. Very happy about that. Everyone seems to be in a good place. Dom will not be available still, don’t expect it to be too long but he will not be available for this game.” – Thomas Frank
It’s not clear if Yves Bissouma (unspecified issue) is fit after missing out in Gameweek 3 but he is reportedly on his way out of the club anyway.
Thomas Frank confirmed that Xavi Simons and Randal Kolo Muani are in contention to feature, with Simons the fitter of the two.
“Both of them are looking good. Both of them are definitely in contention to be ready for the squad.
“Xavi, for natural reasons, is further down the line. He just started the first game for Holland and played a few games for Leipzig.
“In terms of Randal, it’s been a while since he’s played. Last time was in the Club World Cup. Hasn’t trained really with PSG. So he is not as fit as Xavi, but he looks good.
“Xavi, I see him mainly as a 10 or a left-sided player or left winger. Whereas Kolo, I can see him playing as a striker and he can play both wings, I would say.” – Thomas Frank
CRYSTAL PALACE
Ismaila Sarr and Adam Wharton will miss the visit of Sunderland with muscle injuries picked up in Gameweek 3.
Chadi Riad (knee), Eddie Nketiah (hamstring), Cheick Doucoure (knee) are still out, too.
The good news is that neither Sarr nor Wharton are seriously injured, while Nketiah is ahead of schedule in his recovery. All could be back in Gameweek 6, with Wharton and Nketiah potentially even returning a week sooner.
In a further boost, Yeremy Pino is also fine despite pulling out of the Spain squad with a knock to his ankle.
“Fortunately, all the international players came back healthy and fit so that everybody of them is available. The injured players are progressing very well.
“At the moment, it looks like Adam Wharton, Ismaïla Sarr and also Eddie Nketiah are available at least against Liverpool, so in two weeks. Working hard and a great job done from our medical department.
“Tomorrow, none of them are available. Millwall [in the EFL Cup on Tuesday], none of them are available. Adam and Eddie maybe have a chance for West Ham.
“We have 18 fit on-field players – and all the new signings will be in the squad tomorrow. There is also a good chance that Yeremy [Pino] makes his starting debut for Crystal Palace.” – Oliver Glasner
WOLVERHAMPTON WANDERERS
Jorgen Strand Larsen (Achilles) will miss the trip to Newcastle United this weekend.
Vitor Pereira confirmed that the Norwegian striker has yet to return to training, adding that the injury is a bit more serious than first thought.
“He’s not in condition for the game yet because the injury was a bit more serious and now he’s trying to to come back.
“[I hope he’s back] as soon as possible because he’s an important player for us but he’s not in the training yet, he is with the medical department.” – Vitor Pereira on Jorgen Strand Larsen
It also sounds like Ki-Jana Hoever will miss out again due to ongoing knee discomfort.
EVERTON
Iliman Ndiaye (knock) and Vitalii Mykolenko (unspecified) face late fitness checks ahead of Everton’s clash with Aston Villa.
“We’ve got a concern about Ili Ndiaye – he’s got a knock, so we’ll need to see. We’re not sure how he’ll be for tomorrow.
“Myko is around it. We’ll need to see whether he’s going to make it or not. Hopefully, he might be okay.
“He had felt something in the game against Wolves and he’d made it known but he felt that he was fine to go to Ukraine. Once he got there, he felt that maybe he wasn’t quite right, so he came away from it.” – David Moyes
Jarrad Branthwaite (hamstring) remains out, meanwhile.
“Jarrad is getting closer but he’s not quite there yet – but he’s certainly getting closer and hopefully we get him back because he’s a huge player for us. He’s a player we value highly and someone we have lots of hopes for, so we’re looking forward to getting him back.
“No idea [when he’ll be back], at the moment, but I think we’ll be a few weeks before we’re at that stage.” – David Moyes on Jarrad Branthwaite
Nathan Patterson (hernia) and Adam Aznou (ankle) are back in training, while Aznou also featured in the Under-21s’ EFL Trophy clash with Doncaster Rovers last week. However, David Moyes cast doubts over whether they were truly match fit.
“[Aznou and Patterson] are both back in training. Patto has not had any football yet, so I wouldn’t put him down as sort of match-ready yet, really, but he’s been back now for the best part of a week or so. Young Adam [Aznou], as well, got a game at Doncaster a week ago, so we’re just beginning to get them back in and amongst it. They’re back fit. Are they match-ready to play? I’m not 100 per cent sure.”
ASTON VILLA
Boubacar Kamara (hamstring), Ross Barkley (personal), Andres Garcia (unknown) and Amadou Onana (hamstring) all remain out.
“We have some players injured, they are close to coming back, like Andrés García, (Boubacar) Kamara and Amadou Onana.
“We have not available as well, Ross Barkley. He has a personal issue, and I think he will come back or he will be available soon, but not yet.
“The other players, they are ready, everybody.” – Unai Emery
Emi Martinez is one of those who is available after missing out in Gameweek 3.
“Yes, he is available. Emi Martínez, Marco Bizot, Sam [Proctor], for tomorrow, those three players, they are in the squad.” – Unai Emery
Matty Cash is also fine despite coming off at half-time of Poland’s win over Finland last weekend.
New signings Harvey Elliott, Jadon Sancho and Victor Lindelöf are set for involvement, with the former the fittest of the three.
“They are in the squad. There were working with us last week, this week, the players who were here. Different circumstances, each one.
“For example, Jadon Sancho, he was not training with the group [at United] and physically he will need time as well, but he is training normal, and he is in the squad for tomorrow.
“Harvey Elliott, he was playing and training consistently with Liverpool. More or less, he is fit.
“And Lindelöf, he was training as well individually. He started with that two weeks ago and now he is as well available to be with us, but he will need as well, time to know our structure tactically and to know as well how we want to play.
“But every training session we are doing with those players, of course, (it) is very, very important to adapt as soon as possible, physically, and in our structure tactically.” – Unai Emery on his new signings
BRIGHTON AND HOVE ALBION
Fabian Hurzeler confirmed that Adam Webster (knee) and Solly March (knee) are his only absentees for the trip to Bournemouth.
“I think he’s not that close that we can say he will be back in two or three weeks. He’s working quite hard in rehab. He’s doing step after step, but he’s still not on the pitch, but we see some good progress. So we are very, very convinced that we will see him back this year but I can’t give a clear schedule when it will be.” – Fabian Hurzeler on Solly March
The Brighton boss did, however, say that young Greek attacker Charalampos Kostoulas is “still not there” in terms of Premier League-readiness.
Mats Wieffer has recovered from the minor knee issue that forced him to miss the Gameweek 3 win over Manchester City but will still need to be assessed to see if he can start.
“Let’s see how he will be. There will be a training session today and then we will see if he’s 100% or not. He didn’t miss so many training sessions. Of course, we don’t want to take any risk. We only make things that make sense for him and for the team. So, let’s see how the training sessions will go.” – Fabian Hurzeler on Mats Wieffer
As for Brighton’s returning internationals, Hurzeler downplayed their exertions and travels over the last week.
“They all returned in a good shape. They didn’t play the full games. So, especially Minteh and Mitoma only played for 20 minutes to 30 minutes. Of course, Diego [Gomez] played a little bit longer, so you might be a little more tired than the others, but overall, they all look in a good shape and they’re used to it. They’re used to the long travels. So, I don’t think that will be a big problem.” – Fabian Hurzeler
BOURNEMOUTH
Andoni Iraola confirmed that Lewis Cook (knee) has trained with his teammates this week but did add that the midfielder was “not 100%”, so a decision on his availability will be made today.
“He has been training with the team a little bit already, probably not 100%. We will make a decision probably today after training, let’s see how he feels.” – Andoni Iraola on Lewis Cook
Adam Smith (hamstring) has joined Enes Unal (knee) on the injury list.
“Adam Smith, he has, as suspected, a hamstring injury and he will be out for more weeks.” – Andoni Iraola
Iraola is yet to assess the fitness levels of some of his returning internationals, meanwhile.
“We are waiting for one or two situations with the internationals, they are coming. Nothing has happened like with injuries, but I want to see how they are, how they recover, how they train in the afternoon and see what level they are at for tomorrow.” – Andoni Iraola
BRENTFORD
Vitaly Janelt (heel) is back in contention for the visit of Chelsea, while Michael Kayode is available despite suffering from an illness over the international break.
Paris Maghoma (hamstring) is training with the squad again but it sounds like match fitness will rule him out of contention.
Gustavo Nunes (hamstring) will rejoin training next week.
Keith Andrews confimed that new loan signing Reiss Nelson will be involved in the squad.
The Brentford boss wouldn’t be drawn on who will take the Bees’ next spot-kick, following Kevin Schade‘s miss in Gameweek 3.
“Who’s on the pitch and who I feel on that day will take the penalty.” – Keith Andrews
FULHAM
The Cottagers have no fresh fitness concerns for the clash with Leeds United.
New signings Jonah Kusi-Asare, Kevin and Samuel Chukwueze are in contention to feature.
BURNLEY
Zeki Amdouni (knee) is still on the sidelines for the Clarets, while Jordan Beyer (hamstring) and Conor Roberts (knee) aren’t ready to return.
Scott Parker has no fresh concerns from the international break, at least.
Hjalmar Ekdal is fine despite limping off for Sweden this week.
