FPL injury update: Palmer, Mbeumo, Alexander-Arnold, Saka, Aina latest for GW12

The return of Premier League football is nearly upon us, with an exciting round of fixtures coming up this weekend. A number of top clubs are fielding injury concerns, meaning FPL managers will need to choose their teams wisely ahead of Saturday's deadline.

Express Sport provides a helping hand with a list of popular picks who might not be available for Gameweek 11...

Cole Palmer

Chelsea's star man, who features in over 50 per cent of all FPL teams, pulled out of the England squad due to a niggling knee injury. It seems he is recovering well, though, with Enzo Maresca hoping that he will be fit to face Leicester City this weekend.

"[Reece James] is the only one for sure who is not available for this weekend," said the Chelsea boss. "The rest, some of them are better, some of them are still doubts."

Asked for an update on Palmer, Maresca replied: "As I said, yes, some of them are better, some of them we test today. But overall, they are better."

Bryan Mbeumo

Mbeumo withdrew from the Cameroon squad over the international break, with head coach Marc Brys explaining that he was 'injured'. However, it seems he will be ready to feature against Everton with Thomas Frank having delivered a positive update.

On Thursday, the Brentford boss confirmed that Mbeumo would be in the squad alongside Yoane Wissa and Ethan Pinnock.

"All of them I expect to be available and ready for Saturday," he said. "In all three situations, different minor issues. Sometimes a week’s rest makes all the difference, so I expect them to be ready."

Trent Alexander-Arnold

Liverpool suffered a blow when Alexander-Arnold limped off during the early stages of their recent victory over Aston Villa. It later turned out to be a low-grade hamstring injury, which forced him to pull out of the England squad.

There is no guarantee that he will be fit to play against Southampton, with Arne Slot expected to provide an update on Friday. As a result, the FPL website has only given Alexander-Arnold a 50 per cent chance of being fit this weekend.

Only time will tell if he features for Liverpool or if he will remain sidelined for the time being, with Conor Bradley waiting in the wings to replace him.

Bukayo Saka

Saka was another big-name absentee from the England squad after being forced off during the latter stages of Arsenal's draw at Chelsea. He had only just returned to action after missing the previous games against Bournemouth and Shakhtar Donetsk.

Mikel Arteta was left fearing the worst after Declan Rice was also injured at Stamford Bridge, saying after the match: "It doesn’t look good, because for two players of that importance to tell you they cannot continue in the game, obviously it’s not good news."

The Spaniard will be able to paint a clearer picture when he speaks to the media on Friday.

Ola Aina

Nottingham Forest will be sweating over Aina's fitness after he was released from international duty with Nigeria. He played 83 minutes against Benin before he was replaced, with his substitution reportedly down to fatigue rather than injury.

Nigeria's interim boss Austin Eguavoen later said: "I spoke with an official from Nottingham Forest and later received a message from Nuno, the manager, requesting Ola Aina’s release for their game against Arsenal."

It suggests that Aina's early return to the City Ground was simply a precaution, offering hope that he will be fit to play against Arsenal this weekend.