Will Jorgen Strand Larsen start for Wolves against Newcastle? Latest as FPL favourite 'flagged' with injury

Jorgen Strand Larsen was absent from Wolverhampton Wanderers’ final game before the international break and there have been concerns that he could also miss the upcoming clash away at Newcastle United.

Strand Larsen watched on from the stands as Wolves were defeated 3-2 by Everton at Molineux on August 30. At the time, Newcastle had just seen two transfer bids rejected for the striker - the second in the region of £55 million - and speculation suggested he was sidelined due to a lack of focus.

This was despite the fact that Vitor Pereira had shared the news of an injury before the game. Many believed Pereira was just trying to throw people off the scent that Strand Larsen was destined for a move to St. James’ Park, but the head coach was telling the truth.

Will Strand Larsen start for Wolves against Newcastle?

Strand Larsen was omitted from the Norway squad for the recent international break, owing to an Achilles tendon problem. This was the same issue which kept him sidelined for the Everton defeat. But has he recovered since then? And will he start against Newcastle?

Well, Pereira, previewing the clash with Newcastle, has now provided a big update – and it’s not good news. “We are without Larsen, the injury was a bit more serious and he's trying to come back. We want him back as soon as possible, but he's not training yet,” Pereira confirmed.

It awaits to be seen whether Strand Larsen will be back to take on Leeds United at Molineux next week, but he’s definitely out this Saturday. When he does return, there’s a chance Pereira decides to reintegrate Strand Larsen a little slower by introducing him off the bench rather than starting with him. It’s far from ideal for the Old Gold.

Should FPL managers sell Strand Larsen?

What about if you’re a Fantasy Premier League manager who owns Strand Larsen? Should you look to move him on for an alternative forward, or is it better to keep hold of him? Well, it’s entirely up to you and whether there are areas of your squad which need addressing more urgently.

Strand Larsen not being fit enough to play this week makes him a decent sell, though if he’s back for Leeds in gameweek five then he could be a good hold. It really depends on that – and sadly we just don’t know yet. Middling fixtures away at Tottenham Hotspur and at home to Brighton & Hove Albion follow that, before a nice looking away trip to the newly promoted Sunderland in gameweek eight.

If you’re thinking about buying Strand Larsen, this definitely isn’t the wisest week to do it as he will not feature at all. The striker is definitely good value at £6.4m and he’s better than the other options at that price point, but it may be worth investing a little extra and bringing in the likes of Evanilson (£7.0m), Jean-Philippe Mateta (£7.5m), Chris Wood (£7.7m) or Joao Pedro (£7.7m) instead.