This season, a few English Premier League clubs have been severely affected by injuries to their players.
According to data from Premier Injuries, Brentford has suffered the most with players being out for a whopping 725 days since August 11, which is merely 130 days ago.
Newcastle comes in second, losing 691 days due to injuries as they fought on three fronts, playing six tough group games in the Champions League and reaching the Carabao Cup quarter-finals.
Sheffield United, who are currently sitting at the bottom of the Premier League table, have lost 667 days due to injuries so far, which has compounded their struggles.
Other clubs that have registered above-average totals for days lost include Brighton (594), Manchester United (574), Chelsea (557), and Crystal Palace (493).
In contrast, West Ham has been relatively lucky with only 158 days lost so far, which is nearly a fifth of Brentford’s total.
Wolves (245), Bournemouth (277), Everton (306), and Manchester City (380) have also experienced comparatively quiet treatment tables.
Manchester United has been hit the hardest by injuries resulting in players missing one game or more, with 22 separate injuries inflicting players at some stage to date.
Some players have even suffered multiple injuries, such as Casemiro, Harry Maguire, and Raphael Varane, who have all suffered three separate injuries resulting in missing one game or more.
Mason Mount has suffered two, while another 11 players have been unavailable for one game or more during this campaign.
While Crystal Palace has only a slightly higher-than-average number of days lost from injuries, the Eagles’ squad depth has been stretched with 20 separate injuries keeping players out of action for one game or more.
Brighton, who have progressed into the round of 16 in the Europa League, have also had their resources stretched with 19 players sidelined.
Newcastle’s injury crisis is compounded by scale and duration, having suffered 19 separate injuries, with Harvey Barnes and Sven Botman both clocking more than 80 days out with toe and knee injuries, respectively.
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Hamstring strains have been the most common cause of injuries this season, resulting in 2,082 days lost so far, and that number swells to 2,319 when also factoring in “hamstring injuries” and “hamstring surgery”.
Manchester City playmaker Kevin De Bruyne has missed a table-topping 129 days to date with a hamstring strain as he prepares to make his comeback for the reigning champions, while Brentford’s Josh DaSilva has missed 121 days.
Other costly injuries include general “muscular injuries” (859), calf strains (710), and “knee injuries”.
Anterior cruciate ligament injuries have resulted in 454 days lost, affecting the likes of Jurrien Timber and Tyrone Mings (both 128 days lost), Rico Henry (93 days), and Ivan Perisic (90 days).
In terms of which clubs have been affected by specific injuries the most, Luton has lost 284 days from one specific injury type – hamstring strain.
Manchester United, Brentford, Chelsea, and Crystal Palace have also lost players for considerable time from this injury type.
Muscular injuries have plagued Brighton, including the likes of Danny Welbeck, twice (74 days combined), James Milner, twice (51 days combined), and Tariq Lamptey (also 51 days).
It is unclear what has caused the recent surge in injuries this season.
Some have suggested that there may be a correlation between workloads and the rising trend for intense playing styles.
However, high-flying Aston Villa, Manchester City, and Arsenal have all played the most games across all competitions this season with 26 each, yet none of these clubs feature among the most affected clubs for days lost through injuries.
The Premier League has seen a lot of variation in the impact of injuries on different teams, with Newcastle suffering the most and West Ham the least.
Sprint intensity has been on the rise since the start of the 2020/21 season, with an overall increase of 7% in sprints per game.
However, despite concerns about injuries, current forecasts suggest that clubs will lose fewer days through injuries this season than they did last season, but slightly more than they did in the 2020/21 and 2021/22 seasons.
Clubs have been forced to rotate their squads to manage injuries, with Newcastle, Sheffield United, and Brighton having struggled the most with players on the treatment table and having used the most players.
On the other hand, West Ham and Wolves have used the fewest players and have also been among the least affected clubs by injuries.
While there is not much correlation between starting XI changes and injuries, Brighton has made the most changes to their starting line-up, likely due to having lost the fourth-most days from injuries and the third-most individual injuries.
