How many players has each Premier League team had at the World Cup?

• LISTEN: Premier League RESTART analysis and best bets
  Spreaker | Apple Podcasts | Spotify

Manchester City – 16 players

• Manuel Akanji (Switzerland), Ederson (Brazil), Kevin De Bruyne (Belgium), Ilkay Gundogan (Germany), John Stones, Kyle Walker, Kalvin Phillips, Phil Foden, Jack Grealish (all England), Joao Cancelo, Ruben Dias, Bernardo Silva (all Portugal), Nathan Ake (Netherlands), Aymeric Laporte and Rodri (both Spain), Julian Alvarez (Argentina)

Unlikely flops lend busy City a hand

The Premier League champions unsurprisingly led the way with 16 players called up for the World Cup, tying them with Bayern Munich for the honour of being the most represented club at the tournament after Senegal captain Sadio Mane’s late withdrawal.

And in another predictable development, the overwhelming majority of Pep Guardiola’s travelling charges remained until the latter stages, though poor campaigns for Belgium, Germany and Spain should help the Catalan boss.

Group-stage exits for the Belgians and Germans meant key men Kevin De Bruyne and Ilkay Gundogan returned fresher than anticipated in a valuable boost for, while Spain duo Aymeric Laporte and Rodri joined Switzerland defender Manuel Akanji in heading home after the round of 16.

But the bulk of their talent remained until at least the quarter-finals, with a five-strong England contingent – featuring a Phil Foden who saw gradually more minutes in a Three Lions shirt – accompanied by the likes of Ederson, Julian Alvarez and Nathan Ake.

However, the best World Cup-related result City could have hoped for was guaranteed long ago when Norway failed to qualify. An enforced period of downtime for Erling Haaland should lend itself to a strong restart away at Leeds for the seemingly unstoppable striker.

Manchester United – 14 players

• Antony, Casemiro, Fred (all Brazil), Christian Eriksen (Denmark), Raphael Varane (France), Harry Maguire, Luke Shaw, Marcus Rashford (all England), Diogo Dalot, Bruno Fernandes (both Portugal), Facundo Pellistri (Uruguay), Tyrell Malacia (Netherlands), Lisandro Martinez (Argentina), Hannibal Mejbri, on loan at Birmingham (Tunisia)

Deep runs galore spells festive fatigue

The success of Manchester United's English, Portuguese, Brazilian, French, Dutch and Argentine stars’ makes them one of the worst-affected sides as top-flight action returns.

Denmark’s disastrous tournament did mean playmaker Christian Eriksen’s run at least came to an end at three games, while Erik ten Hag might have expected to be without Uruguayan winger Facundo Pellistri for at least part of the knockout phase, though the early return of the 20-year-old – still yet to turn out for the club - will come as scant consolation.

David De Gea being overlooked for a Spain goalkeeping jersey may have felt like a victory, particulary prior to La Roja’s underwhelming last-16 exit, but with Lisandro Martinez along with Raphael Varane, Diogo Dalot, Bruno Fernandes, Casemiro, Antony and Marcus Rashford all among those reaching the deeper stages, the Red Devils are set to be affected in all other areas of the pitch.

Chelsea – 12 players

• Mateo Kovacic (Croatia), Thiago Silva (Brazil), Denis Zakaria (Switzerland), Christian Pulisic (USA), Hakim Ziyech (Morocco), Kai Havertz (Germany), Mason Mount, Conor Gallagher, Raheem Sterling (all England), Edouard Mendy, Kalidou Koulibaly (both Senegal), Cesar Azpilicueta (Spain).

First-team stars stuck in Qatar

Germany’s failure to qualify from the group stage offered manager Graham Potter a small crumb of comfort, but with Mason Mount, Mateo Kovacic, Thiago Silva and Conor Gallagher all reaching the last eight or better, Chelsea face the prospect of hosting Bournemouth on December 27 with a squad that has spent little time together in the build-up.

Hakim Ziyech’s stay late into the tournament will have been unexpected, but the player’s bit-part role at club-level this season mitigates the effect.

Departures after the last 16 for Edouard Mendy, Kalidou Koulibaly, Christian Pulisic and Cesar Azpilicueta did however come as a boost.

Tottenham – 11 players

• Pierre-Emile Hojbjerg (Denmark), Ivan Perisic (Croatia), Richarlison (Brazil), Ben Davies (Wales), Hugo Lloris (France), Eric Dier, Harry Kane (both England), Rodrigo Bentancur (Uruguay), Pape Matar Sarr (Senegal), Cristian Romero (Argentina), Son Heung-min (South Korea)

Spurs stung by success

While Pierre-Emile Hojbjerg and Rodrigo Bentancur will certainly have harboured aspirations of a longer stay in Qatar with Denmark and Uruguay - who failed to get out of their groups - Tottenham can only have expected key figures Hugo Lloris, Richarlison and Harry Kane all to be tied up until late in the day.

Add Eric Dier and Argentina centre-back Cristian Romero and it's a sizeable list.

What Antonio Conte will really be sweating on is the fitness of Richarlison, who is now facing several weeks out through injury.

South Korea’s qualification from a difficult group could have spelled trouble for Conte too, but their loss at the last-16 stage at least meant a timely return for Son Heung-min following injury struggles.

Arsenal – 10 players

• Gabriel Jesus, Gabriel Martinelli (both Brazil), Takehiro Tomiyasu (Japan), Granit Xhaka (Switzerland), William Saliba (France), Matt Turner (USA), Aaron Ramsdale, Ben White, Bukayo Saka (all England), Thomas Partey (Ghana)

Jesus' injury could derail Gunners

Mikel Arteta may have already been watching through his fingers when disaster struck with less than half an hour of Brazil’s final group game remaining; the knee injury suffered by Gabriel Jesus, serious enough to require surgery, threatens to derail Arsenal’s romping start to the season.

Leading Manchester City by five points at the 14-game mark, the Gunners have been buoyed in no small part by the output of the five-goal Brazilian. But the Selecao’s extended run in Qatar also means that Gabriel Martinelli – Jesus’ potential interim replacement if he can adapt to a more central role – may also return fatigued for the restart.

Arteta was unwilling to put a timescale on the frontman’s absence when quizzed, though early reports from Brazil suggested up to three months’ downtime.

Bukayo Saka's key role with England - the 21-year-old played over an hour in all but one of the Three Lions' encounters up to their quarter-final exit - will have been anticipated, but remains less than ideal.

The fact that top scorer Martin Odegaard, of Norway, has been watching events in Qatar from his sofa will soften the blow, but make no mistake, Arsenal have been bitten by the winter World Cup, with the possibility of recruiting a proper stand-in over January merely a thin silver lining.

Brighton – 8 players

• Kauro Mitoma (Japan), Leandro Trossard (Belgium), Robert Sanchez (Spain), Alexis Mac Allister (Argentina), Tariq Lamptey (Ghana), Pervis Estupinan, Moises Caicedo, Jeremy Sarmiento (all Ecuador)

Tricolor trio in early exit

Ecuador’s loss was Roberto de Zerbi’s gain; the South American nation accounted for nearly half of Brighton’s World Cup call-ups and their costly defeat to Senegal in their final group game meant early replenishment for the Seagulls’ squad.

But the biggest plus for Albion came in the form of Belgium’s swift departure, lending recovery time to the vitally important Leandro Trossard.

Robert Sanchez and Kauro Mitoma also came home in good time with Spain and Japan, as did Moises Caicedo just as he was making a serious name for himself, meaning just Alexis Mac Allister – playing an important part for Argentina – was left in the latter reaches of the competition.

Liverpool – 7 players

• Alisson, Fabinho (both Brazil), Ibrahima Konate (France), Trent Alexander-Arnold, Jordan Henderson (both England), Darwin Nunez (Uruguay), Virgil van Dijk (Netherlands)

Early Darwin farewell aids Reds evolution

At seven players, Liverpool’s departing crew was relatively light compared to most of their fellow European hopefuls, but the poor showing from Darwin Nunez’s Uruguay represents their only quick return.

Alisson, Virgil van Dijk, Trent Alexander-Arnold and Jordan Henderson are all notable deep-run players, though Nunez’s early release from duty at least ensures the Reds’ attack stays fresh.

They face Aston Villa in the late afternoon on Boxing Day, but first come up against Manchester City in the EFL Cup on December 22nd.

Leicester – 7 players

• Danny Ward (Wales), Wout Faes, Timothy Castagne, Youri Tielemans (all Belgium), James Maddison (England), Nampalys Mendy (Senegal), Daniel Amartey (Ghana)

An uptick in form before the break saw Leicester turn their fortunes around and with only James Maddison – left on the bench by England following his recovery from a knee injury – staying for the final stages of the event, Brendan Rodgers’ side should be able to hit the ground running when they host Newcastle on Boxing Day.

The Foxes are perhaps the biggest beneficiaries of Belgium’s shortcomings, with Youri Tielemans, Timothy Castagne and Wout Faes all home well in time for Christmas, along with Wales’ Danny Ward and Daniel Amartey of Ghana.

Fulham – 6 players

• Harry Wilson, Daniel James (both Wales), Tim Ream, Antonee Robinson (both USA) Joao Palhinha (Portugal), Aleksandar Mitrovic (Serbia)

Joao Palhinha’s World Cup group stage consisted of three cameos totalling just 38 minutes of action and with the Portugal man the only Fulham player to make the quarter finals, Marco Silva can be fairly pleased with how the tournament has played out.

Aleksandar Mitrovic was unable to fire Serbia through to the knockouts and his swift exit will have been music to his employers’ ears.

Brentford – 6 players

• Mikkel Damsgaard, Mathias Jensen, Christian Norgaard (all Denmark), Bryan Mbeumo (Cameroon), David Raya (Spain), Saman Ghoddos (Iran)

With the domestic restart on the horizon, Brentford could hardly have wished for better luck. Danish trio Mikkel Damsgaard, Mathias Jensen and Christian Norgaard had a brief stay in the Gulf, meaning Thomas Frank will have more rested core than he initially expected.

David Raya’s elimination with Spain also came earlier than imagined, though the stopper saw no minutes as he deputised for Unai Simon.

London derbies with Tottenham and West Ham lead the Bees into a clash with Liverpool, so the safe return of all six Qatar-bound players can be considered a godsend as they look to build on a solid first 15 games.

Newcastle – 5 players

• Bruno Guimaraes (Brazil), Fabian Schar (Switzerland), Nick Pope, Kieran Trippier, Callum Wilson (all England)

No New Year worries in North East

Neither Nick Pope’s role as understudy to Jordan Pickford, nor the bit part roles played by Callum Wilson and Bruno Guimaraes are likely to overly hurt Newcastle when top-flight football resumes.

Fabian Schar sat out Switzerland’s two opening fixtures, though did feature for 90 minutes against Serbia before playing one half of the 6-1 loss to Portugal, which means Kieran Trippier is the only Magpies man to have seen regular game time – and even he missed most of the win over Wales and the whole Senegal encounter.

All of the above mean that despite losing five players to the international showpiece, Eddie Howe’s squad will be largely unaffected as they gun for a return to the Champions League.

West Ham – 5 players

• Lucas Paqueta (Brazil), Alphonse Areola (France), Nayef Aguerd (Morocco), Thilo Kehrer (Germany), Declan Rice (England)

Mixed fortunes for Moyes

West Ham will not have foreseen such a long stint in the Middle East for Morocco's Nayef Aguerd, whose injury concerns will further worry manager David Moyes, but Thilo Kehrer’s quick farewell counterbalances that.

Lucas Paqueta was rotated in and out of Tite’s Brazil team and should return to England reasonably fresh, with back-up goalkeeper Alphonso seemingly recovered from minor back issues to keep France’s bench warm.

However, the Hammers will still have to contend with the knock-on effect of Declan Rice’s major role with England up to the quarter-finals.

Wolves – 5 players

• Matheus Nunes, Ruben Neves, Jose Sa (all Portugal), Hwang Hee-chan (South Korea), Raul Jimenez (Mexico)

There were tears for Hwang Hee-chan as South Korea bowed out to Brazil in the second round, but there will have been few complaints from Julen Lopetegui as he looks to guide basement boys Wolves to safety.

Raul Jimenez’s Mexico waved goodbye to the World Cup in the group stage, but El Tri’s struggles could be immaterial if the forward says farewell to Molineux in January as is rumoured.

Ruben Neves made regular showings for Portugal, though was often brought off by Fernando Santos in the twilight of games, while Matheus Nunes and Jose Sa were spared the majority of the Selecao das Quinas’ thrills and spills in what can be considered a positive month for the West Midlands outfit.

Nottingham Forest – 5 players

• Remo Freuler (Switzerland), Wayne Hennessey, Neco Williams, Brennan Johnson (all Wales), Cheikhou Kouyate (Senegal)

All of Nottingham Forest’s five-strong World Cup cohort saved money on Qatari accommodation, with their Welsh players all enjoying only short spells – and Wayne Hennessey even shorter than most.

Remo Freuler ensured the club were represented in the knockout stages before Switzerland exited in the round of 16, though Steve Cooper wasn’t spared an injury headache: Cheikhou Kouyate’s World Cup ended on a stretcher in Senegal’s opening game as he was removed from play with an ankle issue.

Everton – 4 players

• Jordan Pickford (England), Amadou Onana (Belgium), Conor Coady (England), Idrissa Gana Gueye (Senegal)

Amadou Onana featured for a little over 90 minutes across two of Belgium’s group games before suspension counted him out of the 0-0 draw with Croatia that settled their fate; the same situation befell Senegal’s Idrissa Gana Gueye one round later when he watched his Senegal team-mates eliminated by England.

Jordan Pickford was always likely to sport England’s number one jersey, but with Conor Coady looking on from the sidelines, Toffees boss Frank Lampard has no outfield fatigue concerns ahead of the resumptions.

Aston Villa – 4 players

Leander Dendoncker (Belgium), Jan Bednarek, Matty Cash (both Poland), Emiliano Martinez (Argentina)

A regular since his move from Wolves, Leander Dendoncker’s return after the group games suits Aston Villa no end, with Matty Cash also spared a deep run with Poland alongside team-mate Jan Bednarek.

The only long-term World Cup stay went to Emiliano Martinez, but Unai Emery finds himself in a similar situation to David Moyes in that no outfield players stuck it out beyond the last 16.

Leeds – 3 players

• Rasmus Kristensen (Denmark), Brenden Aaronson, Tyler Adams (both USA)

Jesse Marsch may have found himself in a state of conflict when the USA progressed from Group B; one the one hand happy for his American counterparts, the Leeds helmsman will surely have been praying that Brendan Aaronson and Tyler Adams would avoid a long stay in Qatar.

If so, his wishes were granted in the last 16 as he prepares for the visit of Manchester City on December 28th.

Southampton – 2 players 

• Armel Bella-Kotchap (Germany), Mohammed Salisu (Ghana)

Southampton were one of three Premier League teams to see just two men jet off to the Gulf; one of their outgoing players, Armel Bella-Kotchap, didn’t see one minute of gametime as his Germany team fell at the first hurdle.

Ghanaian Mohammed Salisu was more of a regular, but joined his fellow centre-back in return after three games, spelling minimal disruption for Saints.

Crystal Palace – 2 players

• Joachim Andersen (Denmark), Jordan Ayew (Ghana)

Crystal Palace’s positive start to the term saw them finish the first tranche of the season just one goal differential shy of a top-half finish.

Joachim Andersen and Jordan Ayew returning home after the group stage hands the Eagles the best possible chance of continuing on the same track.

Bournemouth – 2 players

• Chris Mepham, Kieffer Moore (both Wales)

With Chris Mepham and Kieffer Moore both reporting for Wales duty, Bournemouth were the only club in the division to supply just one national team.

That ultimately played into the Cherries favour, with four-goal Kieffer Moore – the side’s joint top-scorer alongside Philip Billing – central to their hopes of pulling away from the drop zone.

World Cup: More from Sporting Life

• World Cup 2022: Sporting Life Hub
• World Cup 2022: Tips, best bets & analysis
• World Cup 2022: All you need to know
• World Cup 2022: Fixtures, results & live scores
• Free downloadable World Cup wallchart
• Free downloadable World Cup sweepstake kit
• Follow Sporting Life Football on Facebook
• Download our free iOS and Android app