Premier League team news: Cole Palmer to face weeks on sidelines as Manchester City welcome back Erling Haaland for Burnley clash
A round-up of the injury news ahead of a busy weekend of Premier League fixtures, as Liverpool plan for Giovanni’s long-term absence, and Manchester City manager Pep Guardiola confirms that Erling Haaland is ready to play against Burnley in their clash after missing the midweek match against Huddersfield. For Chelsea, there is another blow with an update on star player Cole Palmer.
Diallo to miss Brentford games
Manchester United will not be able to call on Amad Diallo for the match against Brentford on Saturday.
Diallo has suffered a family bereavement, and has also been receiving criticism for a post on social media taken with Alejandro Garnacho last week, who left for Chelsea in the summer transfer window in acrimonious circumstances.
Talking to the press on Friday, United manager Ruben Amorim said that the team would aim to win the match for Diallo, explaining: “I always tell my players: shut down social media.
“Nowadays, it is a price you have to pay, but the important thing is that the club and the friends, real life for Amad, we are here for him.
“It is a tough moment for him and in this moment the next game is not important. We can win this game without Amad, and we want to win it for him.”
Brentford wait on Nelson
Brentford confirmed that Reiss Nelson missed a week of training through illness.
The on-loan Arsenal player is back with the team now, and he remains in with a chance of playing against Manchester United this Saturday, shown live on TNT Sports and discovery+.
Gustavo Nunes and Paris Maghoma are still searching for full match fitness.
Palmer out for three weeks as Chelsea hope to avoid surgery
Chelsea boss Enzo Maresca confirmed that the club will not pick Cole Palmer for the next three weeks, explaining that they hope an extended rest – including the upcoming international break – will mean he recovers from a groin injury.
At the moment, the club do not think he will need surgery, but are taking a cautious approach.
Maresca said ahead of the match against Brighton this weekend: “Yes, we decided to protect a little bit Cole. In terms of not letting his injury get worse.
“We decided to rest him for two-three weeks until the international break to see if, with that rest, he can recover 100% and be fit after the international break.
“I don’t think he needs surgery, but it is just to manage the pain in his groin. We have decided to be a little bit conservative with him.”
He added that defender Tosin Adarabioyo will be out for a similar period due to a calf problem, while Wesley Fofana is recovering from concussion.
He told a press conference on Friday: “Tosin is injured. He will probably be out until the international break. He has a small problem in his calf. Wes Fofana had concussion against Lincoln. The rest are okay.”
Leoni to miss a year after ACL blow
Liverpool manager Arne Slot confirmed at his press conference that Giovanni Leoni would be out for about a year.
The Italian teenager has torn his anterior cruciate ligament, and the severity of the injury means there is a long way back for Leoni.
Speaking ahead of the game against Crystal Palace in London tomorrow, Slot said: “He is not in a good place because he tore his ACL, which means he will be out around a year.
“Being so young and coming to a new country and playing so well in your first game, it’s very hard to take the positives.
“There is never a positive side but he is still so young, and he has so many years still go to after he recovers from a terrible injury.”
Slot also suggested that striker Alexander Isak is still not completely match fit, and would not be playing the full match tomorrow.
He added: “He is able to make minutes again, but playing 90 depends on the pace and the intensity of the game. It might be a bit too much, not only for that but also for the long-term.
“You can give a player maybe one stupid hit to bring him to 90, but I don’t think it is smart to play him 90 yet.
“He is further into his pre-season now and normally, after two or three weeks in a pre-season, players go to 60-70 minutes. Some clubs bring them to 90, but if you look at our pre-season, we mainly bring them to 60 or 70.”
‘No update’ on Noni Madueke
Mikel Arteta was unable to give any details on Noni Madueke’s injury.
Reports in the week suggested that a knee injury for the winger could keep him out for up to two months, but Arteta said there “is no update” on the player.
Arteta added that he hoped Martin Odegaard would be fit to face Newcastle.
Howe cautious over Murphy and Ramsey
Newcastle’s Eddie Howe believes that Jacob Ramsey’s return is a while away, with a return expected after the international break, though he could be back sooner.
He said ahead of the weekend’s match against Arsenal: “His recovery is going well, and he is on the grass working hard and building his fitness back up.
“The plan was that he would [be back] for the first game after the international break ahead of us, and if it is any earlier than that, then of course he is ahead of schedule.”
On Jacob Murphy, he said the winger was fit enough to be picked, but he has an Achilles problem that needs to be treated carefully, adding: “He is doing okay, and it is an issue that we are managing. With Achilles tendon problems, they are ongoing and players manage them.
“He is in the place where he is fit and available, but we are just trying to manage his load.”
Guardiola confirms Haaland ready for Burnley
Pep Guardiola confirmed that striker Erling Haaland is “ready” for the match against Burnley at the Etihad, after missing the League Cup match against Huddersfield in midweek.
However, he confirmed a number of other injury problems, saying: “Rayan Ait-Nouri and Rayan Cherki, no. Omar Marmoush and Abdukodir Khusanov, no. Mateo Kovacic, maybe.
Of Kovacic, he said it would help, “a lot to have Kova back. It’s a long injury, surgery, but he is getting ready. He is not fully ready but step-by-step.”
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