Removed at 3-0 down with an own goal to his name, it turns out that the Pervis Estupinan (£5.2m) half-time withdrawal at Aston Villa was because he’d injured a muscle.
Brighton and Hove Albion boss Roberto De Zerbi quickly followed his “can’t play for a long time” estimate with a less troublesome timescale.
“One month, more or less. I don’t know the right time but it’s not for only one game. Muscular injury.”
Still, this suggests that Gameweeks 8, 9 and 10 will be missed, plus any easing-in period. Entering Gameweek 7 as the second-most-owned player in Fantasy Premier League (FPL), his injury means a lot of managers have yet another fire to put out.
Concentrating on defenders priced at £5.5m or below, here are some stand-out candidates to replace Estupinan.
