Reports in Thursday’s press have confirmed that Carlos Tevez is out of the weekend trip to Wolves. The striker has been granted permission to return to Argentina to undergo a programme of rehabilitation ahead of the crucial derby clash with United in Gameweek 12, as fears mount concerning the injury sustained against Arsenal on Sunday.
Tevez was always a doubt for the weekend with a muscle injury sustained in the 3-0 defeat to Arsenal. It is now reported that the injury, initially thought to be a dead leg, could be a more serious setback. A report in the Daily Mail suggests that scans have revealed “severe swelling and internal bleeding around Tevez’s knee and thigh”. The report goes on to claim that the players has been told he will not be able to play for “about two weeks”. That would see Tevez miss the Gameweek 11 fixture with West Brom and remain a doubt for the United game as a result. As yet there is no confirmation of this from official City sources.
The striker’s return to Argentina comes following recent claims, including those of team-mate Roque Santa Cruz, which have stated that Tevez is homesick. It is thought that, in the light of the injury, City have taken steps to quell this issue by allowing the striker to spend time with his family whilst he manages his own return to fitness.
The news will come as a major blow to Tevez owners who have dramatically increased in numbers in recent weeks. Tevez topped the goalscoring charts going into Gameweek 9 and had seen over 200,000 new owners heading into the Arsenal fixture, having scored 5 goals in his previous 4 league starts.
His owners will now have to consider his prospects over the next two to three Gameweeks in the light of this news. Roberto Mancini will likely turn to Emmanuel Adebayor to lead the attack in the absence of his skipper, while Mario Balotelli is also an option having figured from the bench last weekend. Adebayor could now pick up some short-term Fantasy interest but it seems more likely that United’s pairing of Dimitar Berbatov and Javier Hernandez will see a greater proportion of Tevez funds come their way. Hernandez’ run in the United lineup could well come to an end with Wayne Rooney’s expected return in a fortnight, which may coincide with a return to fitness for Tevez.
The other option than Tevez owners will now be considering is a move towards a cheaper alternative up front which would free up cash to recruit Cesc Fabregas in time for Arsenal’s Emirates clash with West Ham. We can certainly expect to see some major movement in the Fantasy markets in the next 48 hours and I suspect we will see points being spent by those who have already fluttered their Fantasy Premier League wildcards.
