Premier League injury crisis as 25 players return from international duty with fitness concerns
The extended international break has taken its toll on Premier League squads ahead of domestic football's return. A total of 25 players remain doubtful for their respective Premier League games this weekend due to injury or fitness concerns.
Research by Soccer Betting Sites found that 12.3% of players called up for the most recent international fixtures face fights to be fit. Title-chasers Arsenal have been hit the hardest with Kai Havertz.
Ezri Konsa, Christos Tzolis and Ceadach O'Neill all giving Mikel Arteta concerns. The Gunners had a total of 17 first-team players representing them, meaning 23.5% of players returning from the international window are doing so with fitness issues.
The timing of these injuries could hardly come at a worse time for Arteta, with Arsenal set to play a staggering nine times across the next 28 days ahead of the next international break. As such, squad rotation will be paramount in the coming weeks, but Arsenal aren't the only Premier League side to suffer.
Injury woes also hit other sides in the top flight, with Crystal Palace, Liverpool, Manchester United, Tottenham Hotspur, Everton, AFC Bournemouth and Sunderland losing between 15%-20% of their international contingent due to injury during the recent break. At the other end of the table, Chelsea, Fulham, Ipswich Town, Newcastle United and Nottingham Forest have come through the break unscathed, despite having a combined total of 43 players away on international duty.
These injury figures come amid concerns over player welfare, particularly those who have already accumulated plenty of minutes this term. With five Premier League matches already in the bag, a significant volume of players have rarely been afforded the chance to rest.
For Arsenal, the likes of Gabriel and David Raya have played every minute in the Premier League this term, while Havertz (438), Bukayo Saka (418) and Riccardo Calafiori (418) have also played a large volume of minutes already. It isn't just Arsenal who are paying the price, with clubs up and down the table being affected.
A total of 50 players have played every single minute in the top flight this season, while 111 players have accumulated 400 minutes or more. Methodology The research analysed all 203 players who were called up for national team duty during the international break.
Players were classified as an injury/fitness concern if they either withdrew through injury, suffered an injury while playing or were reported as a doubt ahead of returning to their club side. The percentage for each club was calculated by dividing the number of injuries by the total number of players from that club who were involved during the break.