Premier League injuries: Doubts over Haaland

Paul Macdonald

• 24 Mar 2023 21:25 GMT
• 7 min read

Premier League injuries are a reality managers - in real life and of the FPL variety - have to factor into their thinking on a weekly basis.

The 2020/23 season was further complicated by the Winter World Cup in Qatar. The condensed fixture schedule this season meant teams were back in action just a week after the final was played, and during the tournament the likes of Arsenal talisman Jesus suffered setbacks.

There have been other major injuries around the top clubs in England. N'Golo Kante missed the World Cup with France having only played two Premier League games for Chelsea this season, while the likes of Luis Diaz and Anthony Martial have been absent for a large portion of the campaign.

Squads, even as big as the modern-day 25-man units, are being stretched to the limit, so how fit is your team at the moment?

Latest Premier League injuries

The most notable Premier League injuries have occurred at Liverpool, Arsenal and Chelsea.

Luis Diaz was injured in October but was expected to use the World Cup break to recuperate and be back fully fit for the second half of the season. Liverpool have had a host of injury concerns across the season, with Diogo Jota and Thiago among the stars that have been plagued with fitness issues for Jurgen Klopp's side.

League leaders Arsenal also suffered a major blow to their ambitions of winning silverware this year, as Gabriel Jesus suffered a knee injury while featuring for Brazil at the World Cup, while injuries to Thomas Partey and Mohamed Elneny have left the Gunners light at times in midfield.

As for Chelsea, Graham Potter has had to deal with more injuries than any other side in Europe, with Kante's absence the most noteworthy. The Frenchman is now closing in on match time after more than six months on the sidelines. Reece James and Wesley Fofana have also returned after long layoffs.

Manchester United have been without Anthony Martial for most the season through various injuries, while Christian Eriksen has been ruled out for a number of months and will miss much of the second half of the campaign. Donny van de Beek is also a long-term absentee but Erik ten Hag's side are otherwise relatively injury free compared to their rivals.

However, Manchester City have enjoyed the best luck with injuries out of the top teams in the Premier League, with no long-term issues to deal with this season.

Premier League Injury Table

Arsenal injuries

Aston Villa injuries

Bournemouth injuries

Brentford injuries

Brighton injuries

Chelsea injuries

Crystal Palace injuries

Everton injuries

Fulham injuries

Leeds injuries

Leicester injuries

Liverpool injuries

Man City injuries

Man Utd injuries

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Newcastle United injuries

Nottingham Forest injuries

Southampton injuries

Tottenham Hotspur injuries

West Ham injuries

Wolves injuries

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) now could 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 easing 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 then at Manchester United.