Arbeloa Faces Challenge Without Tete Against Manchester United
Alvaro Arbeloa will have to chase his first Premier League win as Fulham boss without Kenny Tete.
The Dutch defender has been ruled out of Sunday’s clash with Manchester United at Craven Cottage as he continues to follow concussion protocols.
Fulham arrive back on league duty on a high after that wild 3-2 EFL Cup win over West Ham United in midweek, a result Arbeloa will want to use as a springboard against a vulnerable United side. But his defensive options remain thin.
Arbeloa’s injury bulletin
Speaking ahead of the game, Arbeloa confirmed he will again be without Tete and remains unsure over Ryan Sessegnon’s involvement.
“Tom is still recovering. Tete won’t be available. We need to see if Sess (Ryan Sessegnon) is available for Sunday,” he told Fulhamish.
The update on Tete was blunt and to the point. The right-back suffered a concussion after being struck by the ball in the recent trip to Anfield and has not yet been cleared to return.
“It’s a concussion after the ball hit him in the Anfield game, so he’s still not available. I think he’ll be ready for an international break. Unfortunately, he’s not ready for a Sunday.”
Sessegnon has already missed Fulham’s last two competitive fixtures with injury, leaving Arbeloa to juggle his full-back options once more.
Tete out, Castagne locked in
Tete has long been viewed as Fulham’s first-choice right-back, even if that status has been challenged under Arbeloa in the early weeks of his reign.
The summer nearly took him away from west London altogether. A move to Everton was close late in the window, only to collapse when Fulham failed to secure a replacement. Tete stayed; his role, though, has shifted.
His absence this weekend strips Arbeloa of an experienced right-back option on the bench, but it is not expected to disrupt his starting plans. Timothy Castagne is set to keep his place on the right of the back four, a role he has quietly made his own.
On the opposite flank, Antonee Robinson will continue at left-back, regardless of whether Sessegnon proves his fitness in time. Even if the academy graduate makes the squad, he is likely to be eased back rather than thrown straight into the starting XI.
So Arbeloa goes into a key home test against Manchester United with his full-back picture clear, if not complete. The question now is whether that settled back four can turn a midweek cup surge into a statement league win.
