Saka, Cunha, Strand Larsen and more: Latest FPL Gameweek 5 injury news ahead of Man United vs Chelsea

Another weekend of Fantasy Premier League football beckons, another deadline looms and yet another raft of players are out or doubts thanks to the injuries which seem to be plaguing the 2025/26 season so far – happily, we’re here to help you stay up-to-date with the players that might miss out this weekend.

We’ve combed through the news reports and listened in to the managers’ pre-match press conferences to find out whether important players like Bukayo Saka, Matheus Cunha, Jørgen Strand Larsen and Aaron Wan-Bissaka – and many more - will play any part this weekend, and you’ll find all the latest news below.

We won’t cover suspended stars such as Anthony Gordon or long-term absentees like Omar Marmoush and Jarrad Branthwaite, so if they’ve got a red triangle next to their name in the FPL app and aren’t mentioned here then you can safely assume that they’re out, but these are the players whose participation is in doubt heading into Gameweek 5.

Bukayo Saka, Matheus Cunha and Jørgen Strand Larsen among big name doubts

Bukayo Saka & Martin Ødegaard: The Arsenal winger was initially expected to miss around four weeks of football thanks to the hamstring injury he sustained in August, and that should put him close to a return – Mikel Arteta’s comments ahead of the Champions League win over Atheltic Club suggest that we have at least another week to wait until the £10m midfielder returns, but he has now added that “there could be a chance” for the England international to play this weekend. We’re still sceptical and Arteta isn’t always entirely honest about these things. Ødegaard is touch and go with a shoulder injury but the prognosis is more positive even though he was absent in midweek. Don’t sign Saka back just yet, but don’t sell Ødegaard either.

Matheus Cunha: Ruben Amorim had already told reporters that the Brazilian was “eager” to play in the defeat to Manchester City and it sounded like he could be back for the game against Chelsea on Saturday evening - and so it has proven, with the Manchester United manager now saying that Cunha was back and available for selection. Diogo Dalot remains out, however.

Jørgen Strand Larsen: There has been considerable doubt over just how long the Wolves striker would be out with his Achilles injury but recent reports suggested that it was only a short-term problem, and that was confirmed in Vitor Pereira’s press conference on Friday when the Portuguese coach told the press that Strand Larsen was back in training and that there was “hope” he would play this weekend - “but obviously not for 90 minutes.”

Rayan Aït-Nouri: The Algerian is on the mend after an ankle injury but is once again a significant doubt for Sunday’s game against Arsenal – and with Joško Gvardiol back as well, you should probably wait to find out who gets the gig at left-back before bringing the former Wolves man back in to your team. Rayan Cherki and Marmoush remain out, but John Stones is back in training.

Murillo: The Nottingham Forest defender picked up a knock against Arsenal last week but Ange Postecoglo wass “hopeful” that the Brazilian will be back to face Burnley. The new Forest coach has since acknowledged that Murillo remains “a doubt” and is still handling soreness.

Aaron Wan-Bissaka: One of the most widely-owned defenders in the game despite West Ham’s disappointing start to the season, Wan-Bissaka has “a problem with his stomach,” as Graham Potter delicately phrased it, and it’s been confirmed that he’ll be out of action this weekend. He should be back in a week’s time and may train on Friday.

Dominic Solanke & Ismaïla Sarr among others likely to miss out

Dominic Solanke: Now ruled out by Thomas Frank, all signs had suggested that striker Solanke will be out for at least another week with an ankle injury. He’s back in individual training, at least, but won’t face Brighton.

Ismaïla Sarr: Sarr is another player who is another week away (at least) from making a comeback and won’t return to training until Sunday, although Oliver Glasner has confirmed that the winger is targeting a return in time for next week’s fixture against Liverpool. Adam Wharton could play this weekend, but are more likely to be left out as it stands.

Jarrad Branthwaite & Vitalii Mykolenko: One press conference surprise came on Friday when David Moyes suggested that Branthwaite could return ahead of schedule to play Liverpool this weekend, as could full-back Mykolenko – although he did only say that “we will see how they are,” which is hardly cast iron. Even if they didn’t have a difficult fixture, we’d wait another week to be safe.

Dan Ballard: Plenty of players still have the Sunderland defender after his first-gameweek goal and he should be back from injury this weekend, assuming all goes to plan in training. Régis Le Bris told the press last week that Sunday’s game against Aston Villa was the target for the Northern Irishman.

Maxim De Cuyper: The Brighton full-back has yet to deliver on a pre-season FPL hype train and may not this week, either, after being forced off injured during the first half against Bournemouth last weekend. Scans revealed no serious damage, but he remains a doubt pending updates from Fabian Hürzeler.