Andy Carrollβs spell on the sidelines is set to continue as it has been widely reported today that the Newcastle top-scorer has suffered a setback in his recovery from a thigh muscle injury. The muscle tear has seen him miss the sideβs last five games, four of which were in the Premier League, and it appears that it could be a several more weeks before he is back in contention.
The injury apparently carries a high-risk should Carroll return too soon and it appears that Newcastle are understandably unwilling to gamble the long-term fitness of their star asset.
Manager Alan Pardew had hoped to have him back for the clash with Fulham next Wednesday and duly flew him out to the Magpieβs training camp in Portugal:
βWe brought him here [Portugal] to start running, and the disappointing news is that he hasnβt. His injury is in the muscle, just above the tendon where it joins the knee, so itβs not an area that gets great circulation, and therefore doesnβt heal quickly. Weβre hoping we can turn him around quickly, but now I have to say that Fulham is definitely out, and possibly even Arsenal [5 Feb – Gameweek 26]. We canβt rush him back.β
The manager went on to add that Carroll is to continue his globe-trotting and fly to Scandinavia for specialist treatment:
“We’ve had a conversation about sending him to the world’s best tendon repair specialist, at the Arctic end of Sweden, and he’s flying out there on Friday.”
Since Gameweek 21, at the beginning of January, Carroll has suffered a mass exodus in the FPL with over 317,000 getting rid, forcing a decline in his valuation from 6.5 to 6.1. Despite this, a surprising 33.3% of FPL managers still have the striker on their books. These latest developments will come as a bitter blow to those optimistically holding on, hopeful of an imminent recovery.
It is easy to see why the striker has proven so popular amongst FPL Managers, valued at just Β£5.0 million at the start of the season, Carroll has recorded 113 points, including 11 goals, 6 assists and 18 bonus points. But with big question marks hanging over the severity and recovery time involved in this injury, Carroll is currently a liability in Fantasy terms.
Viable replacement options around Carroll’s price-range include Boltonβs Kevin Davies and Johan Elmander who have previously offered strong returns but have declined badly in recent Gameweeks. Newcastleβs stand-ins β Shola Ameobi and Leon Best, offer some value lower down the bracket, but West Bromβs Peter Odemwingie looks the most likely straight swap right now. At 5.2 in the FPL, he has demonstrated form when fit and has a run of kind opponents in front of him which should give him the platform for further returns. This includes an attractive home double fixture (WHM WOL) in Gameweek 27.
The alternative of course is to upgrade Carroll to a high price option. With Robin Van Persie and Dimitar Berbatov currently firing and available for sub 10.0, suddenly there has been a shift from the preferred 3-5-2 formation to a 3-4-3 in the FPL, with investment being moved from midfield areas to in-form heavyweight forwards.
With some Fantasy Managers still sitting on wildcards until the double fixtures of Gameweek 27 arrive, we should expect further funds ploughed towards the big forwards, with Carroll likely to be sold on by the majority of his remaining active owners.
