FPL Injury News: The Players Returning Within A Week
The call — Doku's return date is set: 5 September. Manchester City's winger carries a calf problem and FPL lists his chance of featuring in the next round at 0 per cent. He does not play this week. That is the fact managers keep missing when they buy early.
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One squad, picked before a ball was kicked and run for six gameweeks on three transfers — no hits taken. Scored on FPL’s own results.
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The case for planning ahead: he costs £7.4m and fewer than 1 in 10 managers own him. If City start him from his first game back, that combination gets attention. The case against moving now: our projections have him at around six points across the next six gameweeks — roughly a point a game. That number is telling you something. First weeks back from a calf injury usually mean minutes off the bench, and City rotate their wide players even when everyone is fit. A £7.4m player delivering a point a week is a hole in your team, not a differential.
Aston Villa's Manzambi is the other name on the list. Knee injury. FPL's dated return is 12 September — seven days out. He costs £5.9m and almost nobody owns him: about 1 in 10 managers rounds his ownership up, generously. Our projections give him half a point across the next six gameweeks. That is not a transfer target. That is a player to ignore until the numbers say otherwise.
The pattern with returning players is consistent. Managers see the comeback date, buy the week before, then watch two substitute appearances and a blank. The buy only works when the minutes arrive, and neither of these players has minutes confirmed — only a date on a flag.
The call: do not buy either this week. Manzambi is a pass outright — the projection says he will not return points at any point in the run. Doku goes on the watchlist and nowhere else. He is flagged, he does not play this round, and our numbers say his early games back will not pay. Wait until he starts a match. If City name him from the first minute after 5 September, move then — you will still be ahead of 9 in 10 managers. Moving now buys you a bench player at £7.4m. Hold your transfer.