FPL scout: Three must-have midfield replacements for injured Mohamed Salah

The Liverpool star could be missing up to and including GW25, so who is best to bring in?
Fantasy Football Scout30 January 2024

With many low-priced Fantasy Premier League midfielders having a great season, some managers opted to keep and bench premium asset Mohamed Salah (£13.1m) throughout his AFCON absence.

It would allow precious free transfers to be kept for elsewhere, while an early Egypt elimination would quickly return him to Liverpool’s line-up.

But the muscle injury suffered against Ghana “is much worse than first feared”, according to Liverpool.

Salah’s agent gave an unofficial recovery timeline of 21-28 days, making the attacker doubtful for Gameweeks 22 to 25. Liverpool then blank in Gameweek 26 due to their EFL Cup final.

This combination might tempt owners into an immediate sale, so here are some recommended replacements from Fantasy Football Scout.

Kevin De Bruyne is back
Getty Images

Kevin De Bruyne (£10.5m)

Starting with the most-bought player by far, De Bruyne’s 950k purchases since Gameweek 21’s deadline are over four times those of next-best Cole Palmer (£5.8m).

A similar number grabbed him beforehand, reacting to the FA Cup comeback cameo that ended his long injury. 41 goals and 61 assists have arrived during his last four full FPL campaigns and, restricted to 25 minutes at Newcastle, he found time to provide one of each for 12 points.

Obviously, there’s a strong chance that Pep Guardiola will continue to carefully manage De Bruyne’s load over the upcoming weeks.

But a nice-looking fixture run includes Double Gameweek 25, making him irresistible.

Phil Foden is a popular, cheaper option
Manchester City FC via Getty Images

Phil Foden (£8.0m)

Manchester City usually escalate at this stage of the season – a period between last February and May brought 14 league wins from 15.

Those not wanting to spend on De Bruyne could instead go for cheaper team-mate Foden, who has excelled in central midfield.

Alongside 19 attempts in his latest five games, he’s the fourth-best FPL midfielder so far for shots on target (20).

A whopping 1.5 million bought Foden heading into Gameweek 21, although there are now concerns over his future minutes and possibly being moved out to the right.

Diogo Jota has stepped up in Mo Salah's absence
REUTERS

Diogo Jota (£7.9m)

Maybe Salah's owners will stick with Liverpool, the league’s best team for total shots (394).

Buying Jota immediately after his 19-point haul sounds foolish but his form goes back further.

Seven goals and five assists from just 754 league minutes, netting 14 times in his last 24 games. And three of those lasted under 10 minutes.

Chelsea and Arsenal are tricky opponents with Blank Gameweek 26 also an obstacle but, in the short term, Jota could be explosive.

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