Premier League injuries: Lavia suffers another setback
Paul Macdonald
- Updated: 5 Jan 2024 16:05 GMT
- 7 min read
Injuries in the Premier League are a reality that managers - in real life and of the Fantasy Premier League variety - have to factor into their thinking on a weekly basis.
Multiple teams have lost key figures in the first portion of the season, with Arsenal's summer signing Jurrien Timber suffering an ACL injury on his debut, while the likes of Tyrone Mings and Emi Buendia have suffered similar setbacks for Aston Villa.
Chelsea's Christopher Nkunku has only recently returned to the pitch to make his competitive debut for the Blues, while Romeo Lavia has suffered yet another heartbreaking setback. Chelsea, Man Utd and Newcastle have at times had as many as a dozen players sidelined.
With the 2023-24 Premier League campaign underway, which English top-flight players are currently injured?
Premier League Injury Table
Arsenal injuries
Arsenal Injuries
| PLAYER | INJURY | RETURN? |
|---|---|---|
| Thomas Partey | Thigh | January |
| Oleksandr Zinchenko | Calf | January |
| Jurrien Timber | Knee | March |
| Fabio Vieira | Groin | January |
Aston Villa injuries
Aston Villa injuries
| PLAYER | INJURY | RETURN? |
|---|---|---|
| Emiliano Buendia | Knee | June |
| Tyrone Mings | Knee | June |
| Matty Cash | Ill | January |
| Robin Olsen | Knock | January |
| Lucas Digne | Thigh | January |
| Youri Tielemans | Calf | January |
Bournemouth injuries
Bournemouth
| PLAYER | INJURY | RETURN? |
|---|---|---|
| Tyler Adams | Hamstring | February |
| Ryan Fredericks | Calf | Unknown |
| Lloyd Kelly | Hamstring | January |
| Emiliano Marcondes | Foot | Unknown |
| Darren Randolph | Ill | January |
| Hamed Traore | Ill | January |
| Hamed Traore | Ill | January |
| Milos Kerkez | Ankle | January |
Brentford injuries
Brentford
| PLAYER | INJURY | RETURN? |
|---|---|---|
| Kristoffer Ajer | Foot | January |
| Shandon Baptiste | Foot | January |
| Rico Henry | Knee | June |
| Aaron Hickey | Hamstring | February |
| Bryan Mbeumo | Ankle | March |
| Kevin Schade | Groin | February |
Brighton injuries
Brighton
| PLAYER | INJURY | RETURN? |
|---|---|---|
| Ansu Fati | Hamstring | February |
| Julio Enciso | Knee | February |
| Joel Veltman | Knee | February |
| Tariq Lamptey | Hamstring | January |
| Solly March | Knee | Unknown |
| Adam Webster | Thigh | January |
| Kaoru Mitoma | Ankle | January |
| Igor | Knock | January |
| Simon Adingra | Thigh | January |
Burnley injuries
Burnley
| PLAYER | INJURY | RETURN? |
|---|---|---|
| Jack Cork | Calf | January |
| Hjalmar Ekdal | Knee | January |
| Jordan Beyer | Thigh | January |
| Luca Koleosho | Knee | June |
Chelsea injuries
Chelsea
| PLAYER | INJURY | RETURN? |
|---|---|---|
| Trevoh Chalobah | Thigh | Unknown |
| Ben Chilwell | Hamstring | January |
| Carney Chukwuemeka | Knee | January |
| Wesley Fofana | Knee | June |
| Robert Sanchez | Knee | January |
| Romeo Lavia | Thigh | January |
| Lesley Ugochukwu | Other | Unknown |
| Reece James | Hamstring | March |
| Marc Cucurella | Ankle | March |
| Benoit Badiashile | Other | January |
Crystal Palace injuries
Crystal Palace
| PLAYER | INJURY | RETURN? |
|---|---|---|
| Cheick Doucoure | Achilles | June |
| Joel Ward | Thigh | January |
| Sam Johnstone | Calf | January |
| Rob Holding | Ankle | January |
| Michael Olise | Hamstring | Unknown |
| Jesurun Rak-Sakyi | Hamstring | February |
Everton injuries
Everton
| PLAYER | INJURY | RETURN |
|---|---|---|
| Dele Alli | Groin | February |
| Ashley Young | Other | January |
| Abdoulaye Doucoure | Thigh | January |
| Dwight McNeil | Ankle | Unknown |
Fulham injuries
Fulham
| PLAYER | INJURY | RETURN? |
|---|---|---|
| Tim Ream | Calf | January |
| Adama Traore | Hamstring | January |
Liverpool injuries
Liverpool
| PLAYER | INJURY | RETURN? |
|---|---|---|
| Dominik Szoboszlai | Hamstring | January |
| Stefan Bajcetic | Calf | February |
| Kostas Tsimikas | Shoulder | Unknown |
| Joel Matip | Knee | September |
| Andrew Robertson | Shoulder | February |
| Thiago | Hip | January |
Luton Town injuries
Luton
| PLAYER | INJURY | RETURN? |
|---|---|---|
| Reece Burke | Hamstring | January |
| Tom Lockyer | Recovering from cardiac arrest | Unknown |
| Dan Potts | Hamstring | January |
| Marvelous Nakamba | Knee | April |
Man City injuries
Man City
| PLAYER | INJURY | RETURN? |
|---|---|---|
| John Stones | Ankle | January |
| Jeremy Doku | Knock | January |
| Erling Haaland | Ankle | January |
Man Utd injuries
Man Utd
| PLAYER | INJURY | RETURN? |
|---|---|---|
| Casemiro | Hamstring | January |
| Luke Shaw | Muscular | January |
| Harry Maguire | Groin | January |
| Mason Mount | Calf | January |
| Tyrell Malacia | Knee | January |
| Lisandro Martinez | Foot | January |
| Anthony Martial | Ill | January |
| Rasmus Hojlund | Ill | January |
| Victor Lindelof | Groin | January |
Newcastle United injuries
Newcastle
| PLAYER | INJURY | RETURN? |
|---|---|---|
| Elliot Anderson | Back | January |
| Harvey Barnes | Foot | January |
| Javier Manquillo | Groin | Unknown |
| Jacob Murphy | Shoulder | January |
| Nick Pope | Shoulder | April |
| Matt Targett | Hamstring | February |
| Joe Willock | Calf | January |
| Kieran Trippier | Groin | January |
Nottingham Forest injuries
Nottingham Forest
| PLAYER | INJURY | RETURN? |
|---|---|---|
| Taiwo Awoniyi | Groin | March |
| Felipe | Muscular | January |
Sheffield United injuries
Sheffield United
| PLAYER | INJURY | RETURN? |
|---|---|---|
| Chris Basham | Ankle | June |
| Tom Davies | Thigh | January |
| John Egan | Ankle | January |
| Daniel Jebbison | Illness | Unknown |
Tottenham Hotspur injuries
Tottenham
| PLAYER | INJURY | RETURN? |
|---|---|---|
| Alejo Veliz | Knee | January |
| James Maddison | Ankle | January |
| Ivan Perisic | Knee | June |
| Ryan Sessegnon | Hamstring | January |
| Manor Solomon | Knee | January |
| Micky van de Ven | Hamstring | January |
| Cristian Romero | Hamstring | January |
West Ham injuries
West Ham
| PLAYER | INJURY | RETURN? |
|---|---|---|
| Michael Antonio | Knee | January |
| Mohammed Kudus | Thigh | January |
| Lucas Paqueta | Knee | January |
| Vladimir Coufal | Ill | January |
Wolves injuries
None.
Can you win a Premier League medal if injured?
Any player who has made five appearances in a Premier League season is eligible, though clubs are able to make a special case-by-case dispensation case to allow players who have missed the entire season to apply to be given a medal.
What are the worst football injuries?
Generally, any injury to the cruciate ligament of the knee can lead to an extended period on the sidelines.
Twenty years ago, a cruciate knee ligament injury could have been career-ending, but advancement in surgery technology means that players can generally return to action after a prolonged rehabilitation. A return date from a ruptured ACL (anterior cruciate ligament) could now be within eight to 10 months.
Serious ankle injuries remain one of the most recurring injuries, as when a player suffers this, it can impact their movement for the remainder of their careers; notable examples would be Marco van Basten and Jack Wilshere. Depending on the original injury, a player can be back within four months, but more time and care must be given to ease the player back into action.
Broken legs occur less often in the modern game as tackling has been tempered by rule changes, and though players can expect to spend a period on the sidelines, with a clean break and proper surgery, a player can be back in training as soon as four to five months.
Hamstring tears have become an increasingly common problem, and time must be taken to recuperate the player and ease them back into their comeback. But a bad hamstring tear could lead to as long as eight to 10 weeks on the sidelines.
Injury-prone EPL footballers
There are plenty of renowned Premier League players who could have been far more successful if they weren't almost permanently injured.
The aforementioned Wilshere's Arsenal career was effectively ended by a series of persistent ankle problems, while Alan Shearer, though the record EPL goalscorer, missed at least two years due to a series of issues, including groin operations and a serious cruciate issue in 1997.
Elsewhere Arjen Robben was one of the best wingers of the 21st century but spent far too much of his Chelsea career sitting on the sidelines, and the same can be said of Louis Saha, firstly at Fulham and then at Manchester United.
