International break leaves Premier League clubs bruised by injuries

Few teams escape the international break without some kind of fitness issue, and the Premier League’s return this weekend is already shadowed by frustration. The game’s bosses crammed four fixtures into three weeks, leaving clubs juggling line‑ups while players recover from international duty.

Injury fallout from the break

Alex Scott’s injury while on England duty has reignited the club‑versus‑country row, with teams blaming the national side for his welfare. Thomas Tuchel expressed major frustration after Cole Palmer chose to miss the England games, a decision Arsenal previously made on similar grounds.

William Saliba remains sidelined, his injury well documented, while Ezri Konsa withdrew from England duty with a muscle issue, casting doubt over his availability. Ben White and Cristhian Mosquera missed the Brighton loss but should be back, and both Kai Havertz and Christos Tzolis picked up injuries on international duty that will keep them out for weeks.

Unai Emery warned that Amadou Onana’s ACL injury will keep him out long‑term, and new signing Leon Goretzka confirmed he will be unavailable until after the international break. Ian Maatsen could be sidelined for “a long, long time”, while Pau Torres and Marco Bizot are listed as doubts for the weekend.

Chelsea, referred to as the Cherries, are unhappy with England’s handling of Scott’s thigh injury, which may keep him out for up to eight weeks. He felt the issue before the win over Croatia, played 70 minutes before being substituted, and now faces a lengthy recovery.

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Players on the verge of return and weekend fixtures

Eli Junior Kroupi is targeting a return by November after foot surgery, while Julian Araujo, Justin Kluivert and Veljko Milosavljevic will all miss this weekend. Mikkel Damsgaard is a doubt after an ankle injury on duty, and Kaye Furo will miss after an operation, though Mathias Jensen remains a possible inclusion.

Josh DaSilva has returned to full fitness, and Brighton hope Jack Hinshelwood will be available. Summer signing Femi Azeez finally has time to regain fitness after arriving injured, and Kaoru Mitoma, Stefanos Tzimas and Evan Ferguson remain long‑term casualties, with Yankuba Minteh touch‑and‑go.

Cole Palmer controversially pulled out of England duty to work on a foot injury but is in contention for Saturday’s match. Joao Pedro, who missed the Brentford loss, is expected back this month, while Moises Caicedo, with just 14 minutes this season, could feature alongside Reece James.

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Frank Lampard hopes Haji Wright returns by the end of the month, though Kaine Kesler‑Hayden and Luke Woolfenden are also in contention. Dean Henderson, Jean‑Philippe Mateta and Takehiro Tomiyasu all look to have dealt with their issues and could play this weekend.

Manchester United face Tottenham in a high‑stakes clash, while Manchester City meet Liverpool for the first time since their guilty verdict, adding further intrigue to a weekend already packed with injury narratives.