Kevin de Bruyne left the field on a stretcher this evening during Manchester City's 3-1 win against Everton in the Capital One Cup Semi Final.
This
replay shows that the midfielder was pulled down by Funes Mori, causing him to land on his shin, so that his knee was totally bent with all of his weight on it.
The Belgian midfielder has an ownership of 28.8% on FPL and following his injury will drop in price tomorrow if not tonight. Assuming the injury sidelines him for over two weeks, it's likely he'll drop 0.2 before Gameweek 24.
Kevin de Bruyne recently announced his injury status via Twitter:
Just got back from the specialist. I'll be out for around 10 weeks.
In this article the
Fplbet team look at who to replace De Bruyne with on Fantasy Premier League. We've shortlisted five candidates and sorted them in FPL price order.
Alexis Sanchez (£10.8m)
[Fixtures: Southampton (H), Bournemouth (A), Leicester (H)]
When fit, Alexis Sanchez is always a popular pick for fantasy sides. Having been out since late November, there might've been the worry that he would struggle to cope with the pace of the game when he came off bench against Chelsea. However he looked back to his vibrant self and despite not being able to force Arsenal back into the game, he looked the most likely to make things happen.
The explosive Chilean was inconsistent before his hamstring injury, with his six league goals coming during a three game purple patch. If he can recapture the consistency he showed last season he will stockpile points with goals and assists. Also, with Mesut Ozil in the side, the next chance is never going to be too far away.
With home games against in form Southampton and leaders Leicester coming up in his next three, his fixtures don't look the kindest. But Sanchez is a big game player and has already got a hat-trick against Leicester this season so you would fancy him to score big. In between the two home games, the Gunners face a trip to leaky Bournemouth, a prospect Alexis will be looking forward to. He might be expensive, but in a side who create plenty of chances Sanchez might prove to be worth the price tag.
David Silva (£9.9m)
[Fixtures: Sunderland (A), Leicester (H), Tottenham (H)]
With Kevin de Bruyne now out injured it's likely that David Silva will be Manchester City's most creative player in the upcoming weeks. His points total for the season is frankly disappointing tallying 66 in the shape of one goal but more impressively eight assists. We all know the magic that the Spaniard possesses and has the ability to unlock defences with ease.
Sergio Aguero looks to have put his injury woes behind him and is looking incredibly sharp, if Silva and the Argentinian striker can form the dangerous partnership that has struck fear into opposition defenders over the past few season then Silva's a solid pick going forward.
Next week he faces Sunderland who can't stop leaking goals; nine in their last five games to be precise. City then welcome Leicester and Tottenham to the City of Manchester Stadium, two games where away from home you'd question his FPL selection (due to City's questionable away form), but with Citizens the hosts you have to expect Silva to return a good points tally in front of the City fans. With Manchester City booking their place in the Capital One Cup Final it's possible that Silva will have one blank gameweek, what that does mean though is a double gameweek further down the line.
Dimitri Payet (£8.1m)
[Fixtures: Aston Villa (H), Southampton (A), Norwich (A)]
Jamie Redknapp recently said Dimitri Payet “makes you want to buy a West Ham season ticket” - this might be taking it a bit far, however, no matter what club you follow, you must have a sweet spot for the midfield maestro. The Frenchman is a joy to watch, but he is also efficient. During his first 12 Premier League appearances, Payet racked up 5 goals and 4 assist � creating 3.9 chances per game on average, which was only bettered by Mesut Ozil over this period. Payet's impact on The Hammers has been magnificent and at last Boleyn Ground has a motive to get bums on seats. Unfortunately Payet missed a couple of months following an ankle injury; nevertheless he is back and firing on all cylinders, with 9 chances created, a goal and an assist in his last 3 gameweeks.
The reason why Payet is a more attractive FPL option, than some of the competition in here, is that West Ham rely on him to make things happen - he currently leads the club's statistics for both goals (6) and assists (4) this season. Another motive to get the elusive dribbler on your side is his dead-ball capabilities; Payet takes all the free kick and corners, and with the likes of Winston Reid, John Collins and now Sam Bryam ready to pounce in the box, these situations are perfect for getting assists away from open play. With some enticing fixtures; Aston Villa (H), Southampton (a), Norwich (a) and Sunderland (H), we are predicting Payet to reach the heights that saw him tally 17 assists for Marseille last season.
Roberto Firmino (£7.9m)
[Fixtures: Leicester (A), Sunderland (H), Aston Villa (H)]
With four goals in his last three Premier League appearances, Roberto Firmino has left Fantasy Premier League managers chomping at the bit in regards to his upcoming fixtures wearing the red jersey of Liverpool. This upturn in form can partly be put down to the Brazilian's new position, as the club's now second joint top scorer has arguably managed to successfully make the central position in the forward line of Jurgen Klopp's 4-3-3 formation his own.
However, considering Liverpool are still battling away in the FA Cup, League Cup and Europa League, it is safe to assume that Firmino's fixture list may border on the ridiculous in terms of congestion, increasing the risk of facing the same injury fate that met fellow countryman Philippe Coutinho, amongst others. Liverpool play seven times in February, in comparison to (for example) top of the table Leicester, who only play on four occasions during the shortest month of the year.
Currently priced at £7.9m, Firmino's stock is undoubtedly increasing. At the beginning of the season, Liverpool's number 11 was suited by the website's relatively anonymous aficionados to a rather demanding tag of £8.5m, one that he failed to live up to going into the new year. However, with a new regular club position and a selected percentage of just 7.1%, introducing the former Hoffenheim player into the 15 man squad available could prove to be a shrewd and consistent move that benefits those willing to risk in order to reap.
Dele Alli (£5.7m)
[Fixtures: Norwich (A), Watford (H), Manchester City (A)]
Another replacement for the injured Kevin De Bruyne is Spurs youngster Dele Alli who has become one of the first names on the team sheet for Mauricio Pochettino's side this season. Contributing with regular assists and also showing he can get a few goals after his wonder goal against Crystal Palace. So far this season he has been able to rack up a points tally of 99 including six goals and assists. Spurs aren't doing too bad defensively either with Alli earning points for six clean sheets already this season.
The Tottenham midfielder has performed well in recent away games, scoring 12 points against Southampton in December, 8 points against Everton at the start of January and 13 points in his last league match against Crystal Palace. This comes as good news as two of Tottenham's next three fixtures are on the road.
Although their next opponents, Norwich, battled well in their last game against Liverpool, they still managed to concede five goals and with the partnership of Alli and Kane there is a stronger possibility for goals. Overall the midfielder looks the best replacement if you're looking for an in-form player than can free up your budget.
Thanks for reading our Who To Replace De Bruyne With On Fantasy Premier League article. Don't forget to comment your opinion below.
