Manuel Akanji: Best FPL defenders to replace injured Man City centre-back

Magnus Carlsen claimed blind luck helped him finish 11th in the 2019/20 season of Fantasy Premier League but many wanted to credit the Chess grandmaster's mathematical mind.

As demonstrated on numerous occasions, Manuel Akanji is quicker at some forms of mental arithmetic than a mortal human with a calculator. The Manchester City defender will have more time to turn his own wonderful mind towards the complexities of Fantasy Football after sustaining an injury.

Akanji had started City's first four fixtures of the season across all competitions but was declared "not fully fit" ahead of a narrow 2-1 win against Sheffield United last Sunday.

In the absence of one player who had survived Pep Guardiola's rotation policy, here are some alternatives maybe even Carlsen would be tempted buy.

Kyle Walker (Manchester City) - £5.1m

City's fixtures have been favourable, but the reigning champions look imperious at the back. Across their first three matches, Manchester City have conceded just three shots on target - 38 different players have taken at least as many this season already.

If you are inclined to swap Akanji out for one of his teammates, Kyle Walker is a reliable option likely to start most of City's matches as acting captain in Kevin De Bruyne's absence.

Upcoming fixtures

Malo Gusto (Chelsea) - £4.1m

After three gameweeks, Akanji would have set you back £5.1m. Chelsea's Malo Gusto is a snip at just £4.1m and offers far more attacking potential than City's Swiss calculator.

Standing in for the injured Reece James, Gusto has an inviting run of fixtures ahead of him; Chelsea's toughest match before October's international break is at home to an Aston Villa side that have already conceded six goals this season.

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Ethan Pinnock (Brentford) - £4.5m

Whether it's their status as relative newcomers to the division, Thomas Frank's insistence that his side are rank underdogs in every fixture or a general bias against Hounslow, Brentford defenders are criminally overlooked by FPL users.

The Bees kept more clean sheets than Chelsea or Tottenham last season and just one fewer than Manchester City. Yet, only 2.2% of the platform's users this term have gone for a pillar of Brentford's backline; Ethan Pinnock.

The towering centre-back is also a threat from set pieces, an area of the game in which Brentford thrive; only Liverpool scored more goals from dead balls than the Bees last season.

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Lucas Digne (Aston Villa) - £4.5m

Lucas Digne's teammate on the opposite flank, Matty Cash, may be the toast of FPL after a brace against Burnley but the French left-back could be a more consistent points collector.

After an uncharacteristically barren 2022/23 campaign - devoid of a single assist while nursing shoulder and ankle injuries - Digne has already created two goals for Unai Emery's upwardly mobile Aston Villa this term.

Villa don't face a team that have qualified for the Champions League until December.

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Kieran Trippier (Newcastle) - £6.5m

If you have a bit of spare cash to splash, Kieran Trippier is a luxury upgrade on Akanji. Last season's highest-scoring FPL defender opened the season with a spate of daunting fixtures but there is plenty of potential for points in the near future.

Newcastle's set-piece taker and potent provider could come good in the coming weeks, with games against two newly promoted teams and three of last season's bottom half on the horizon.

Upcoming fixtures

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