An XI of injured Premier League players set to miss the start of the 23/24 season | OneFootball

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The beginning of the Premier League season is finally upon us, but it comes too soon for some players that are set to be absent from the opening round of fixtures at least.

Long-term injuries, as well as problems picked up in pre-season, will keep some players out of action for the start of the new season which could make things difficult for their clubs. Fans will have to wait to see some of these names in Premier League action, with some players' absence likely to be more detrimental to their club's success for the campaign.

Some of the fitness issues being faced by these players is also preventing transfer business being done with clubs looking to either sign them or move them on to make space for other players to come in. So, we take a look at an XI of players set to miss the start of the 2023/24 Premier League season due to injury.

While the goalkeeper was always unlikely to play any significant part in the Citizen's season, he is set to miss the opening months of the campaign regardless. Per the Northern Echo, Steffen underwent knee surgery in June which will keep him out for up to four months.

The worst part about this for Pep Guardiola's side is that it will affect any potential transfer this summer with Championship clubs previously linked with a move for the American after his loan spell at Middlesbrough last season. Ederson and Stefan Ortega are both firmly ahead of Steffen in the pecking order of goalkeepers at the Etihad.

The 34-year-old defender has been an incredible servant for the Toffees during his time at the club, but unfortunately his career at Goodison Park was threatened at the end of the 2022/23 season. He picked up a knee injury during a 2-2 draw against Leicester City which at first looked to potentially be the last time the Everton fans would see him wearing their shirt.

CB: Wesley Fofana

Fofana has had a nightmare with injuries during his time in England. The young defender picked up a long-term injury while at Leicester, and did so again shortly after getting his big move to Chelsea. He will miss the majority of the next season due to an ACL injury picked up during pre-season. His club are fortunate to not be short on options in the centre-back position.

CB: Benoît Badiashile

It's a good job Chelsea have an abundance of players in each position of their squad as Badiashile joins his fellow centre-back, Fofana, on the treatment table. The first month or two of the season will come too early for the French defender as he is currently recovering from a groin issue that was picked up in May. Badiashile was only given limited gametime in his first six months at Stamford Bridge in any case and may have struggled to get regular minutes this season.

LB: Alex Moreno

Unai Emery picked Moreno as his man for the left-back position in his Aston Villa team, and that decision was certainly vindicated during the second part of the 2022/23 season. His solid and energetic performances kept Lucas Digne out of the side completely, but the French full-back will have to deputise for now as Moreno has undergone surgery on a hamstring injury.

CM: Joao Palhinha

Fulham fans were concerned that Palhinha would not be part of the squad on the opening day of the season due to a potential transfer being on the cards. West Ham and Liverpool were said to be keen on the destroyer to replace Declan Rice and Fabinho respectively.

That speculation went away in an instant however, as the Portugal midfielder suffered a shoulder injury during a 3-2 pre-season friendly win over Brentford. While Fulham manager Marco Silva has said that he is making good progress, he is unlikely to feature in their opener against Everton.

"Joao is out," he said, per the Evening Standard. "He has been doing medical work but not full work with the team yet. We have to assess one or two others after some knocks the last few days. We are much more positive about the return date [of Palhinha], but we have to see. We have to see if he’s going to be ready for the next one [against Brentford on August 19]."

CM: Rodrigo Bentancur

If there was one positive to be taken from Tottenham's season during 2022/23 - apart from Harry Kane's usual goal scoring brilliance - it was the performance of Bentancur. Ever since his injury in February, Spurs have struggled to dominate any teams in the middle of the pitch as they slipped away from the top four race and ended their season on a whimper.

RM: Michael Olise

Olise is being linked with a big money move to Chelsea this summer despite currently being absent from action due to injury. He had a very impressive campaign last time out as he registered 11 assists in the league. Crystal Palace will be hoping to hold on to their star man, although they will be without him for the start of the season regardless after he picked up a hamstring injury during the Under 21 European Championships.

CAM: Christopher Nkunku

An impressive pre-season has ended on a sour note for the Chelsea new boy. Nkunku's ability and tendency to pop up in the right position in front of goal was on display for all to see before a knee injury put the brakes firmly on his progress. The club have since confirmed that the 25-year-old has undergone surgery to sort the issue out, but it is still a huge blow to see the new signing ruled out until December.

LM: Emiliano Buendia

Another player to have impressed throughout his club's pre-season was the little Argentinian playmaker. Always hard-working and silky on the ball, he looked to finally be gaining the end product fans had previously expected of him. Buendia was set to embark on a European journey with Aston Villa in the Europa Conference League, but he looks likely to be out for up to eight months with a knee problem. A tough one to take.

More bad luck for Arsenal's Brazilian forward - who missed a large portion of last season with an injury - as he has once again been ruled out. This time it does not seem to be as serious an issue as before, but Mikel Arteta will start to feel concerned if Jesus continues to have fitness struggles in the near future. The Gunners will have to start their campaign with Kai Havertz as their centre forward despite plans for the German to play a deeper role.