Fraser Gilbert scours the game's database to seek out the troublesome types who'll bother your physios all year round
It’s every manager’s worst nightmare. You stumble upon the perfect signing, but before he’s even stepped on home turf his injury-prone tendencies force him to the sidelines. Before you know it, you’ve wasted a chunk of budget and an entire year’s wages on a player who’s consistently out of action.
To avoid this, we need to delve into Football Manager 2017’s hidden attributes. Injury proneness, alongside natural fitness and stamina, is a key stat that can indicate the likelihood of a player becoming injured. With this in mind, we’ve picked out a definitive XI of injury-prone players you’ll want to avoid.
1. Sergio Asenjo (GK)
Team: Villarreal
Injury proneness rating: 17
Need to know: Talented Spanish keeper Asenjo is well-known for his cruciate ligament woes, suffering his fourth instance of the injury back in February. Unfortunately, the £10.5m Villarreal custodian is plagued with 17 injury proneness and 8 natural fitness stats as a result, making him a risky acquisition for top-level sides.
2. Martin Caceres (RB, CB)
Team: Southampton
Injury proneness rating: 17
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Need to know: Former Juventus defender Caceres has a long history of injuries, notably suffering a ruptured Achilles tendon back in February 2016. The now-ex-Southampton defender’s otherwise-impressive stats are hampered by 6 natural fitness and 17 injury proneness attributes, both of which don’t do the Uruguay international any favours in FM 2017.
3. Armand Traore (LB, LM)
Team: Nottingham Forest
Injury proneness rating: 20
Need to know: Ex-Arsenal and QPR defender Traore wrestled with injuries once more last season, appearing in just 12 league games for Championship side Nottingham Forest. The 27-year-old benefits from plenty of pace in-game, but his 20 injury proneness suggests he’ll struggle to use it.
4. Sam Hutchinson (CB, DM, MC)
Team: Sheffield Wednesday
Injury proneness rating: 20
Need to know: It was a chondral defect in the right knee that forced versatile defender Hutchinson to retire aged 21. He’s since overcome those troubles, and played a crucial part in last season’s Championship campaign with Sheffield Wednesday. Unfortunately for us virtual managers, his past issues see him equipped with 20 injury proneness and 6 natural fitness attributes in FM 2017.
5. Wes Brown (CB, RB)
Team: Blackburn
Injury proneness rating: 19
Need to know: At 36 years of age in-game, former England international Brown still manages to boast some impressive stats. However, while the Blackburn Under-23s coach remains a tempting season-long signing, both his age and previous injuries place his natural fitness at the lowly 2-rated mark, while his stamina fares little better.
6. Sami Khedira (DM, CM)
Team: Juventus
Injury proneness rating: 19
Need to know: The most high-profile player in our line-up is Germany international Khedira, valued at £21.5m by the powers that be at Sports Interactive. The Juve star will boost any side with his incredible stats, but be wary of his 19 injury proneness and 10 natural fitness ratings, which are the result of niggling fitness troubles in previous seasons.
7. Saidy Janko (DR, RM)
Team: Barnsley (on loan from Celtic)
Injury proneness rating: 17
Need to know: Celtic’s promising youngster has been limited to just a handful of appearances for the club thus far, suffering an almost season-long ankle injury back in 2015/16. His recent loan spell with Championship side Barnsley was also tainted by injury woes; with 17 injury proneness and 10 natural fitness attributes, Janko remains a risky acquisition.
8. Darron Gibson (DM, CM)
Team: Sunderland
Injury proneness rating: 19
Need to know: Irish midfielder Gibson suffered a host of injuries at former club Everton, before moving to Sunderland in January. The midfielder is blessed with some excellent attributes in FM 2017, but a pre-existing injury combined with 19 injury proneness and 5 natural fitness stats suggest he’s not worth his £7.5m valuation.
9. Giuseppe Rossi (ST)
Team: Celta Vigo (on loan from Fiorentina)
Injury proneness rating: 19
Need to know: Italian striker Rossi is another who has faced multiple cruciate ligament issues throughout his career, suffering his latest setback in April. As a result, the Fiorentina loanee is hindered with 19 injury proneness and 5 natural fitness stats in FM 2017, making him a tough signing to recommend.
10. Mauricio Pinilla (ST)
Team: Genoa
Injury proneness rating: 18
Need to know: The 33-year-old Chile international Pinilla has a well-documented history of injuries, although none have proved too detrimental in recent years. That said, the striker’s increasing age is also a factor in him suffering from 18 injury proneness and 5 natural fitness stats, attracting only the bravest of risk-takers.
11. Kwadwo Asamoah (WBL, LM, CM)
Team: Juventus
Injury proneness rating: 20
Need to know: Sporting 20 injury proneness and 4 natural fitness stats, Juventus’s Asamoah is the riskiest signing in FM 2017. His substantial valuation (£19m) contributes to the situation, although the gifted Ghanaian does live up to that price tag in most areas of his game. Unfortunately, his injury-plagued spell at the Italian giants serves as his biggest downfall.
