Most valuable injured XI in world football right now

Neymar, Pedri and Reece James are all sidelined presently.
Neymar, Pedri and Reece James are all sidelined presently.

Central Midfield- Pedri (€80 Million)

SL Benfica v FC Barcelona: Group E - UEFA Champions League
SL Benfica v FC Barcelona: Group E - UEFA Champions League

Still only 19-years-old, Barcelona starlet Pedri had a year to remember. The young midfielder played the most matches of any footballer in 2020-21 and ended up winning the Kopa Trophy and Golden Boy award. Pedri played for Spain at the Olympics and Euro 2020, and the amount of football he played left him susceptible to muscle injury.

The teenager has played only four games this season after picking up a number of injuries over the course of the season. For Barcelona and Spain, Pedri remains a key player, but the continued exertion of his body will do him a lot of harm long-term.


Central Midfield - Leon Goretzka

Dinamo Kiev v Bayern München: Group E - UEFA Champions League
Dinamo Kiev v Bayern München: Group E - UEFA Champions League

German midfielder Leon Goretzka is suffering from hip and knee problems at the moment, causing him to be unavailable for Bayern Munich. The midfielder has already missed over a month of action since his injury. Goretzka is normally one of the driving forces in midfield for Julian Nagelsmann at the Allianz Arena.

Goretzka makes good use of his strength and physique to progress the ball through the middle of the park for the German champions. The 26-year-old midfielder made 18 appearances for Bayern this season before his injury, contributing two goals and two assists.


Right Midfield - Ferran Torres (€45 Million)

FC Barcelona Training Session
FC Barcelona Training Session

Spanish winger Ferran Torres recently moved from English champions Manchester City to FC Barcelona in a surprise €55 million transfer. The 21-year-old joined Barcelona after he was convinced by manager Xavi of being the face of his project at the club. Torres contributed three goals and an assist in seven appearances for Manchester City this season before his transfer.

He saw his involvement curtailed by a metatarsal fracture in October. The Spaniard is currently working his way back to full fitness while Barcelona work on freeing up space to get him registered in their squad.


Left Midfield - Robin Gosens (€35 Million)

Villarreal CF v Atalanta: Group F - UEFA Champions League
Villarreal CF v Atalanta: Group F - UEFA Champions League

Versatile German left-sided player Robin Gosens has been an important player for Atalanta in recent seasons. The 27-year-old left midfielder has played eight times for the Italian side this season with two goals and an assist to show for it.

The German international suffered a hamstring injury in a 1-0 win for Atalanta against Young Boys in the Champions League back in September. He then suffered another setback in training in November. Gosens is expected to return to full training for Atalanta in January.

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