The Scout assesses how the FIFA World Cup 2022 has impacted the most popular players in Fantasy Premier League during the current unlimited free transfers period.
Midfielders
England's loss to France in the FIFA World Cup quarter-finals has made Marcus Rashford (£6.7m) a must-have for many managers in Fantasy.
The Manchester United player is the most-bought midfielder over the last 24 hours, brought in by 9,100 managers.
By contrast, Rashford is only the seventh most-bought midfielder in the unlimited transfers period, earning 164,000 new owners.
Although he finished the tournament as England's joint-top scorer on three goals, Rashford was restricted to just 137 minutes over their five matches.
That suggests he will be fresh to profit from Man Utd's kind upcoming schedule.
According to the Fixture Difficulty Ratings (FDR), six of their next nine matches score only two.
Most-owned midfielders in Fantasy
| Player | Ownership | WC mins. | Last WC app. |
|---|---|---|---|
| Martinelli | 48.3% | 111 | 05/12 |
| De Bruyne | 37.6% | 270 | 01/12 |
| Almiron | 35.6% | - | - |
| Salah | 32.4% | - | - |
| Trossard | 27.8% | 102 | 01/12 |
| Andreas | 23.6% | - | - |
| Foden | 21.4% | 259 | 10/12 |
| Rashford | 19.3% | 137 | 10/12 |
Arsenal's Gabriel Martinelli (£6.8m) and Brighton & Hove Albion's Leandro Trossard (£7.1m) are further popular Fantasy picks who had their pitch-time rationed in Qatar, each playing just over 100 minutes.
Meanwhile, Belgium's early exit at the group stages is good news for Kevin De Bruyne's (£12.6m) 37.6 per cent backers.
The Manchester City playmaker last featured on 1 December, affording him over three weeks' rest before the season resumes on Monday 26 December.
Overall, though, managers have mainly moved to midfielders not involved in the World Cup.
Non-World Cup selects
Newcastle United's Miguel Almiron (£5.8m), the top-scoring player in his position in Fantasy, is also the most-bought in the unlimited free transfers period with over 358,000 new owners.
Martin Odegaard (£6.4m), Leeds United's Rodrigo (£6.3m) and Liverpool's Mohamed Salah (£12.8m) have each collected 180,000+ transfers in.
Saka interest rises
Finally, England's loss to France has also lifted interest in Bukayo Saka (£8.0m).
The Arsenal winger is also among the 10 most-bought players in the last 24 hours, with 6,000+ new managers.
Also in this series
Part 1: Ward still proving popular
Part 2: Key defenders return with fresh legs
Part 4: Nunez gaining popularity among forwards
