The 2024/25 Premier League season is just six matches old, but clubs have already seen potentially season-altering injuries across their first few matches of the campaign.
Teams at opposite ends of the table have been affected by injuries to players both domestically and during their international games, with sides such as Arsenal and Wolves already suffering notable absences.
An ACL injury to Manchester City’s Rodri is perhaps the leading story of the season so far in the Premier League, though Wolves have lost Yerson Mosquera to a similar issue and Arsenal’s Martin Odegaard is still out after suffering an ankle injury in September’s Nations League fixtures.
Last weekend, Heung-min Son was ruled out of Spurs’ 3-0 win over Manchester United due to a suspected hamstring issue, while Kobbie Mainoo limped off in that same defeat to potentially add to Erik ten Hag’s injury woes.
But who are the major absences from the various Premier League teams, and when can fans expect to see them return?
Find out all the latest injury information below.
Rodri
The Ballon d’Or candidate limped off during City’s 2-2 draw with Arsenal on 22 September, and fans immediately feared the worst as the midfielder appeared to have jarred his knee in a collision with Thomas Partey.
City later confirmed that the Spaniard had suffered damage to his ACL and meniscus, and he was then ruled out for the rest of the season after undergoing surgery.
Potential return date: Start of the 2025/26 season
Yerson Mosquera
Wolves centre-back Mosquera was taken off on a stretcher in his side’s 3-1 loss to Aston Villa after a collision with Morgan Rogers in which he appeared to twist his knee.
The Colombian had started all five games for Wolves before his injury, and the Midlands club confirmed that he would miss the rest of the season on 24 September.
Potential return date: Start of the 2025/26 season
Martin Odegaard
The Arsenal captain injured his ankle during Norway’s Nations League match against Austria in September, and he hasn’t made an appearance for the Gunners since.
Mikel Arteta later confirmed that Odegaard had suffered ligament damage, adding that it would be “a matter of weeks” before his return.
“How long exactly, I cannot tell you,” said Arteta. The Spaniard later added that he did not expect to see his captain return until after the October international break.
Potential return date: 19 October 2024
Heung-min Son
The South Korea international missed his side’s 3-0 win over Manchester United last week after suffering a suspected hamstring injury in the win over Qarabag in midweek.
Spurs manager Ange Postecoglou said that Son “just wasn’t right for today”, but added that “we’ll assess it when we go back and get back down to London. We’ll see how he is.”
The injury is not thought to be too serious.
Potential return date: 6 October 2024
Kobbie Mainoo
Mainoo limped off during United’s 3-0 loss to Spurs, having gone down just as Bruno Fernandes received his red card.
The England international went straight down the tunnel as he came off, with Erik ten Hag saying after the match that he did not know the extent of the injury.
“I have to find out but, of course, when a player is coming off before half-time already, then there are some concerns,” he said.
Potential return date: Unknown
Mikel Merino
Spanish midfielder Merino was a late addition to the Arsenal squad in the summer transfer window, but he is yet to make an appearance for his new club after injuring his shoulder in his first training session.
He was ruled out for around two months, though on Friday 27 September, Arteta said that Merino “had partial training today”.
“He’s been working so hard. It’s looking good. He is ready to go and he really wants it.”
Potential return date: 5 October 2024
Kevin de Bruyne
City’s midfield talisman was forced off during his side’s 0-0 draw with Inter Milan in their opening Champions League match on 18 September, and has sat out every game since.
Pep Guardiola does not seem to have an exact timeframe for when the Belgian will return, having said that he may come back “before maybe the international break or after the international break, we’ll see”.
Potential return date: Unknown
Nathan Ake
The Dutchman was injured during his side’s Nations League match with Germany in early September, and he has made just two appearance for his club so far this season.
Guardiola has said that he expected the defender to be out “until the next international break”.
Potential return date: Late October 2024
Leny Yoro
The 18-year-old joined United from Lille in the summer window but is yet to make a competitive appearance for his new side, having sustained a foot injury during a friendly against Arsenal.
After having surgery, the club confirmed that they expected the Frenchman to return “in around three months”.
Potential return date: November 2024
Reece James
Club captain Reece James hasn’t played for Chelsea since suffering a recurrence of a hamstring injury during pre-season. Before the win against Brighton, Enzo Maresca said: “The only one [missing] is Reece. He is still out, and there is no real update on him at the moment.”
Potential return date: Unknown
Harvey Elliott
Liverpool midfielder Elliott fractured his foot while playing for the England U21s earlier this month, though he is expected to make a return for theReds at some point in October.
Arne Slot called the injury “a big disappointment”, adding that “if he had stayed fit he would have had a lot of playing time in the upcoming fixtures”.
Potential return date: October 2024
Alexander Isak
The Swedish striker is currently suffering from a broken toe which forced him to miss the draw against City, and Eddie Howe later confirmed that he would miss the Carabao Cup tie against AFC Wimbledon.
The Newcastle manager added that he is a major doubt for the weekend match against Everton too.
Potential return date: 19 October 2024
Sven Botman
Dutch international Botman suffered an ACL injury in March during a 2-0 loss to Manchester City, and he has not played since then. There have been positive updates on his recovery, though with the usual recovery period for the injury lasting up to nine months, he is not expected back until the end of the year.
Potential return date: December 2024
