Fantasy Premier League managers will hope to hear a positive update from Erik ten Hag regarding Bruno Fernandes‘ injury after the Manchester United captain missed Monday’s thrashing at Crystal Palace.
Fernandes was not named in Ten Hag’s matchday squad at Selhurst Park and his teammates badly struggled without him, losing 4-0.
The 29-year-old has been virtually ever-present for United in the Premier League this season, starting all but two of their 35 matches and had not missed a league game due to injury in four-and-a-half years at the club until Monday.
Over 100,000 FPL bosses had bought the Portugal international before doubts surfaced over his fitness in preparation for United’s double gameweek against Arsenal and Newcastle.
Here’s the latest on Fernandes’ fitness and five potential FPL replacements if he is ruled out of Gameweek 37.
How long is Bruno Fernandes out for?
Ten Hag admitted that Fernandes suffered the injury during United’s FA Cup semi-final win over Coventry and was seen with strapping over his wrist in their subsequent match against Burnley.
Ten Hag hinted that the Portuguese playmaker could recover in time to face Palace but ultimately he was unable to feature.
“After the game, we had an issue with Bruno,” Ten Hag said last Thursday.
“He is a doubt for Monday, we all know Bruno, never rule him out for any game. He will do his best to be available.”
The extent of the injury is unclear but it must be debilitating considering Fernandes has an exemplary fitness record since signing for United from Sporting Lisbon in January 2020.
According to football stats website Transfermarkt, Fernandes has only missed two competitive United matches due to injury or illness.
Ten Hag is due to address the media again on Friday before Sunday’s meeting with Arsenal where he will hopefully provide an update on Fernandes’ condition.
5 potential FPL replacements for Fernandes
Until we learn more about the nature of Fernandes’ injury, he is probably worth holding in FPL for United’s double gameweek if you have him already, but may not be worth buying if you were thinking of doing so.
There are plenty of excellent options out there, but it makes sense to hone in on those playing twice in Gameweek 37. The clubs that have a double gameweek are: Brighton, Chelsea, Manchester City, Manchester United, Newcastle and Tottenham.
The most obvious replacement from those clubs is Phil Foden (£8.4m). The City midfielder has missed three of his side’s previous five matches but has been magnificent when he has played, returning 41 points in his last three appearances.
With three games still to play, Foden has already enjoyed the most productive Premier League campaign of his career with 16 goals and eight assists from 32 outings. That form has led to Foden being named the Football Writers’ Association Player of the Year last week.
Anthony Gordon (£6.4m) is another obvious target due to his phenomenal performance for Newcastle. The winger has produced an impressive 10 goals and 16 assists in 33 matches this season and has a promising fixture run to come.
The one caveat to buying Gordon is that two of Newcastle’s remaining four games are away from home and he has been far more productive at St James’ Park. The England international has earned 131 FPL points from home games, compared to just 44 on the road.
Investing in Tottenham assets may seem counter-productive given how ropey their recent performances have been, but Son Heung-min (£9.9m) is always worth considering. A double gameweek against Burnley (h) and City (h), a team he has a great record against, looks reasonable for his FPL prospects.
Son’s teammate Richarlison (£6.8m) looks like an excellent differential this week after coming off the bench to score a goal and provide an assist in last weekend’s 4-2 defeat at Anfield. That cameo will surely lead to a start against Burnley on Saturday.
Everyone has Cole Palmer (£6.2m) by now, but barely anyone has snapped up his Chelsea teammate Noni Madueke (£5.3m). The winger is owned by just 0.7 per cent of managers but has delivered 15 and 13 points respectively over the past two gameweeks.
Mauricio Pochettino has certainly been impressed by Madueke’s displays, calling him “amazing” after Chelsea’s 2-0 win over Spurs. He looks an excellent differential for the run-in.