Best FPL defenders to replace injured Man Utd left-back

Why do we bother, eh? We spend a good proportion of our summer crafting what we believe to be the perfect FPL XI, only to end up using a wildcard within the first month.

The decision to cave and change tack may be down to the temptations of boasting other assets, but injuries have undoubtedly played a role. At the start of 2023/24, the likes of Jurrien Timber, Reece James, Mason Mount and now Luke Shaw have succumbed to issues that are bound to keep them out of action for a prolonged period.

Regarding Shaw, a hugely popular FPL asset, he’s not expected to return to the fold for another six weeks, forcing managers across the globe to cut ties. However, the United left-back’s current value of £5.4m means there are plenty of options at your disposal if you need to make a straight swap.

Here are five defenders you could draft into your FPL squad to replace the injured Shaw.

The vast majority of managers have been wise enough to acquire Estupinan after his productive 2022/23 campaign. The Brighton man has been selected by 64.4% of managers and Shaw’s injury gives the rest of you an opportunity to add him if you haven’t already.

His price increase to £5.3m means this will pretty much be a direct swap for the England international, whose injury has seen him drop in value.

While he’s the most selected defender, Estupinan is an asset you simply must have given his tendency to contribute in the final third. He plays a complex and advanced role down on the south coast and he’s already racked up 19 points through three games (18 from the first two).

Despite the goalscoring prowess of Erling Haaland and their array of stellar playmakers, Man City’s success last season was built off their stout defence. The early signs in 2023/24 suggest their backline may play an ever bigger role this time around.

With John Stones out and Manuel Akanji potentially enduring a period on the sidelines, you can take your pick from three City defenders to replace Shaw. Ruben Dias is currently a little too expensive at £5.5m, but Nathan Ake, Kyle Walker and Gvardiol are all priced at £5.1m.

While they’re unlikely to contribute much in the final third, the Cityzens are set to rack up clean sheet after clean sheet this season. They’ve already registered two and Gvardiol has slotted seamlessly into Pep Guardiola’s set-up. While Pep’s rotation can often frustrate managers, the summer arrival looks set for a run in the team.

The vast majority of users had at least one Arsenal defender in at the start of the season, but Timber’s injury and Gabriel’s strange absence threw many of our plans into disarray.

However, normality is expected to resume at the Emirates following the return of Zinchenko to the fold. After missing the first game of the season as he recovered from a calf injury, the left-back has made two substitute appearances in back-to-back games.

Mikel Arteta has eased the Ukrainian back in and he’ll surely enjoy a run in the starting XI given just how important he is to what the Spaniard wants to achieve. With Zinchenko coming back, Gabriel should also return and bolster Arsenal’s defensive security after they conceded twice against Fulham.

At £4.9m, Zinchenko is currently good value.

Ange Postecoglou’s Tottenham have been a breath of fresh air at the start of 2023/24, with Udogie playing a starring role in Spurs’ early success.

The young Italian has taken to the inverted left-back role in Ange’s system like a fish to water and while Spurs’ defensive assets are unlikely to be clean-sheet bankers this season despite their sound start, Udogie has the potential to rack up impressive attacking numbers.

The athletic and physically imposing defender constantly pops up in the final third, with his underlapping runs proving a reliable source of chance creation at the start of the new season. Udogie bagged an assist with a half-space surge and cut-back for Dejan Kulusevski against Bournemouth and such sequences are set to be frequent throughout 2023/24.

Another ‘budget’ option to consider is Brentford wing-back Henry, whose run of fixtures should tempt managers.

Selected by 6.8% of users so far, Henry picked up over 100 FPL points in the past two seasons and has got off to a solid start in 2023/24. He enjoyed four and five-point outings against Tottenham and Fulham respectively before managing only two against Crystal Palace at the weekend.

Still, there’s scope for the Bees to pick up plenty of clean sheet bonuses in the coming weeks as they take on Bournemouth and Everton at home as well as Nottingham Forest at the City Ground.

CATCH UP ON THE LATEST FPL NEWS, HOT PICKS & TIPS TO WIN YOUR LEAGUE