Premier League injury round-up: Arsenal, Manchester United and Chelsea sweating on stars

The Premier League is back this weekend after a two-week international break which has deprived some managers of star players.

While international breaks give managers a chance to take stock, they can also bring dread in the form of injuries. They are unfortunately a part of the game, but when they occur on the watch of the national team, they can come with added tension.

The Manchester Derby on Sunday is undoubtedly the headline attraction this weekend, but the return of Ange Postecoglou with Nottingham Forest , against Arsenal , is a close second.

Here Mirror Football goes painstakingly through all 20 Premier League clubs to give you the latest on the injury list and whether Alexander Isak will make his Liverpool debut this weekend.

Mikel Arteta has some significant injury worries ahead of Saturday’s early kick-off against Forest. Kai Havertz and Gabriel Jesus remain long-term absentees, while Bukayo Saka is also on the sidelines with a hamstring injury which Arteta admitted could be “significant”.

William Saliba withdrew from international duty with France after twisting his ankle at Anfield and L’Equipe have suggested he will be unavailable for three or four weeks, which means Cristhian Mosquera could continue to deputise. Ben White is expected to return for the Forest game, having not featured since the Manchester United game, while Christian Norgaard should also be available and could make his Arsenal debut.

Matty Cash, Amadou Onana and Boubacar Kamara are all doubts for Villa’s match against Everton . Cash picked up “a severe bruise” to his quadriceps while on international duty with Poland, while Onana and Kamara both have hamstring issues. Unai Emery will have to balance the risk with the trio, while Ross Barkley is still likely to be considered short of match fitness.

Cherries captain Adam Smith suffered a hamstring injury before the international break. Lewis Cook is a doubt with a knee injury and Enes Unal remains out with a serious knee injury sustained last season.

Vitaly Janelt could rejoin the fold after working on his fitness following injury. Paris Maghoma is in a similar boat, having missed pre-season due to injury, while Gustavo Nunes is still battling to get fit. Yunus Konak could return after an ankle injury.

Mats Wieffer could be involved for the Seagulls as they play Bournemouth , but Adam Webster and Solly March are still long-term absentees.

Connor Roberts could make his return from a knee injury, but Jordan Beyer, Zeki Amdouni and Manuel Benson are still unavailable for Scott Parker’s side.

Uncertainty surrounds the status of Cole Palmer after he pulled up in the warm-up ahead of Chelsea ’s 5-1 win at West Ham with a groin issue. But Levi Colwill (ACL) and Liam Delap (hamstring) are definitely out for the foreseeable future.

Benoit Badiashile and Romeo Lavia are unlikely to return just yet. “I don't think they will be back after the international break, but they will be closer,” Enzo Maresca said last month. Dario Essugo has undergone surgery on a thigh issue picked up on international duty with Portugal under-21s.

Maresca may leave Reece James on the bench after he started both England games during the international break; the defender’s workload continues to be managed at Chelsea.

Oliver Glasner managed to keep hold of Marc Guehi on deadline day, but he does have injuries to worry about. Ismaila Sarr is unavailable with a hamstring injury and Adam Wharton is also a major doubt with a muscle injury.

Eddie Nketiah, Cheick Doucoure and Chadi Riad are all still out, managing longer-term issues, but Matheus Franca is on the comeback from injury.

David Moyes started the season with a decimated defence and Jarrad Branthwaite and Vitaliy Mykolenko were still absent from training earlier this week. Nathan Patterson is also a doubt, but we should know more after Moyes’ pre-match press conference.

Marco Silva could have a clean bill of health for the home match against Leeds on Saturday. Issa Diop missed the 2-0 defeat by Chelsea before the break, but should be fit enough to return to the squad.

Goalkeeper Lucas Perri has already been ruled out for two games with a thigh injury, meaning Karl Darlow will start in goal at Craven Cottage. Daniel Farke has already spoken to the media and confirmed positive news on Ethan Ampadu and Ao Tanaka.

“Some good news with Ethan and Ao Tanaka,” he said. “Since the beginning of this week, both have integrated in major parts of team training. We have 48 hours more, and we will take a late decision with them. It is possible we travel with both; it is also possible that neither will travel.” But there are doubts over forwards Lukas Nmecha, who missed training this week, and Joel Piroe, who has a bruised calf.

Alexander Isak could make his debut this weekend after a £125million move from Newcastle , but his minutes will be managed after a limited pre-season. Arne Slot was full of praise for the way Sweden handled him during the international break after he sat out of the 2-2 draw with Slovenia and played a limited role against Kosovo.

“We will treat Alex the same, so don't expect 90 mins every week, he missed pre-season and team sessions so we have to build him up gradually,” Slot said. Expect Isak to start on the bench.

Ibrahima Konate went off with cramp in the 1-0 win over Arsenal on August 31, but featured for France earlier this week so will be fine. Jeremie Frimpong could make a return this weekend, having returned to training after picking up a thigh injury last month.

Pep Guardiola has the highest number of injuries of any Premier League boss right now after Omar Marmoush picked up a knee injury while playing for Egypt. Rayan Cherki, Mateo Kovacic and Kalvin Phillips are long-term absentees and John Stones another doubt after being forced to pull out of the England squad with a muscle injury.

Abdukodir Khusanov was pulled out of the Brighton game with a knock, but is expected to return against United while Josko Gvardiol is yet to feature this season. Phil Foden and Savinho could also return this weekend for the derby.

Matheus Cunha and Mason Mount picked up injuries in the win over Burnley before the international break. Cunha has been busy posting positive updates on social media, so could return, while Diogo Dalot pulled out of international duty with a muscle injury. Lisandro Martinez is a long-term absentee with a knee injury.

The big news for the Magpies is that £55m new striker Yoane Wissa is injured , having picked up a problem while playing for DR Congo. "He won't make this game," Eddie Howe said. "He is feeling the effects of the injury just before he came off. He will go away for tests and maybe see a specialist to see."

Fellow new arrival Jacob Ramsey is also out with an ankle injury picked up in the 0-0 draw with Leeds before the break and Anthony Gordon is suspended after getting sent off for chopping down Virgil van Dijk. Howe hopes to have Joelinton back available after he missed the last game.

Ola Aina picked up an injury on international duty with Nigeria so is a major doubt. Oleksandr Zinchenko can’t face his parent club Arsenal. Nicolas Dominguez is still sidelined.

The Black Cats will be without Romaine Mundle, Denis Cirkin, Leo Hjelde, Dan Ballard, Luke O’Nien and Aji Alese, who are all out injured, but Niall Huggins could return this weekend.

James Maddison , Radu Dragusin and Dejan Kulusevski are long-term absentees, but Yves Bissouma and Dominic Solanke could return this weekend. Solanke has been managing an ankle issue, while Thomas Frank didn’t sound concerned about the issue that had kept Bissouma out last month.

The only issue for Graham Potter appears to be Niclas Fullkrug, who returned from international duty with a minor injury that needs assessing. “We've got Niclas, who has had a slight issue with his calf from international duty, so he came [back] early. He's trained lightly today, so we'll see how he reacts,” he said.

It’s all eyes on Jorgen Strand Larsen this weekend after the forward pulled out of international duty with Norway with an Achilles issue. He missed the 3-2 defeat by Everton on August 30 and will be a big miss if he’s unavailable to face Newcastle too. Ki-Jana Hoever and Hugo Bueno will face fitness tests before the match this weekend.

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