The Scout's panel of Fantasy Premier League experts discuss which players could return late for pre-season and how this could impact your selection for Gameweek 1.
What the experts say
Lee Bonfield (@FPLFamily)
This is a really tricky element for our pre-season planning. Pep Guardiola's recent comments don't fill me with confidence that Phil Foden (£9.5m) will start in Gameweek 1, but it might not put me off if I'm sure I want him for Gameweek 2's plum fixture at home to Ipswich Town.
I'll be keeping a keen eye on pre-season matches of course, especially the FA Community Shield match on 10 August and Pep's interviews and press conferences around this match.
Utkarsh Dalmia (@ZopharFPL)
I think it needs to be judged on a case-by-case basis. Arteta has mentioned Bukayo Saka (£10.0m) and David Raya (£5.5m) will start training next week, which should see them start in Gameweek 1. Similarly, Cole Palmer (£10.5m) is too pivotal for Chelsea to miss any game time.
However, Guardiola in particular likes to give his players an extended break and Man City have several alternatives to Foden, so I think with the City lads more caution is needed. Pre-season minutes need to be monitored closely.
Ben Crabtree (@FC_CrabDogg)
After previous tournaments, a lot has been made of players potentially not starting Gameweek 1 - and then they have started. Foden feels an obvious one to leave for now but I'm waiting for news next week before ruling out any other targets.
Holly Shand (@HollyShand)
I've been conscious of late returners in all my pre-season planning, especially for those England players who had significant minutes at EURO 2024 like Foden and Saka.
I want to see any player who makes my Gameweek 1 squad in a pre-season friendly prior to the opening weekend of the Premier League.
Nick Harris (@WGTA_Nick)
The majority of my initial Gameweek 1 team will be made up of players who have had a long summer break. You can build a strong squad around the likes of Alexander Isak (£8.5m), Mohamed Salah (£12.5m) and Erling Haaland (£15.0m), who haven't been involved in international tournaments and therefore will be ready and raring to go in Gameweek 1.
Gianni Buttice (@GianniButtice)
I'm very wary of investing in too many late returners from clubs with busy schedules, mostly those playing in European competition, especially the Champions League where rotation is more difficult.
With the likes of Foden and Saka playing so many minutes, they arguably need more of a rest in the summer than the likes of Eberechi Eze (£7.0m) and Anthony Gordon (£7.5m).
Harry Daniels (@FPL_Harry)
The late returners are a concern to me. I do think they will start slower or even not start at all early on, given comments like that from Pep on Foden this week. However, Arteta has mentioned he expects Saka to be back so it may be a case-by-case basis. It is definitely something to monitor though.
Oscar (@FPLFocal)
Guardiola is a huge believer in rhythm. It's a word he's used plenty in press conferences before, so I feel Foden's now a 50/50 to start against Chelsea, given he'll be lacking any rhythm. On the other hand, Arteta says Saka and Raya will be back in training this weekend, so that's where I'm looking in my team to save myself the stress while waiting for the line-ups to drop.
I'm expecting Palmer to start that Gameweek 1 fixture against Man City. He's far too important for Chelsea, while City have the depth in quality to get a result even if Foden only comes on in the second half.
Mark McGettigan (@FPLGeneral)
It's always a risk to go for late returners in Gameweek 1. I'm likely to swerve the players that featured in the Euros final. On the flip side, players that had a summer off are more attractive.
The likes of Haaland, Martin Odegaard (£8.5m) and Salah are high on my most-wanted list for this reason.
Az Phillips (@FPLBlackBox_Az)
I'm a strong believer that pre-season minutes have a big impact on how well a player starts the season. A break, and then coming in for maybe one game, when other players have been training together for several weeks, means they can take a while to get fully up to speed. Players like Haaland, Isak and Salah have all had an extended break which makes them all the more tempting.
I'll be keeping a close eye on the likes of Gordon, Eze, and Trent Alexander-Arnold (£7.0m), who all made it to the final with England but played limited minutes.
Saka and Foden are very unlikely to be in my Gameweek 1 draft after their exertions at the Euros.
Sam Bonfield (@FPLFamily)
Knowing what to do with the late returners is difficult and also looks set to be very much team-dependent. Guardiola has said he isn't expecting his players back in time for the Community Shield, which makes them more doubtful for Gameweek 1.
On the other hand, Arsenal are expecting the likes of Saka and Declan Rice (£5.5m) this weekend. Keep a close eye on the news coming out of the teams and, if in doubt, go for a different option at the same price point. This will make it easy to move to the returning player when they are back in the starting XI.
For example, if you are worried about Foden's minutes then start with Son Heung-min (£10.0m) for Gameweek 1 and swap him for Foden ahead of Gameweek 2.
