‘A special human being’ – Marc Guehi hails Eberechi Eze after Crystal Palace midfielder earns first England call up

BY ANDREW MCSTEEN

Marc Guehi has taken time out to praise teammate Eberechi Eze after his Crystal Palace side ended their Premier League campaign with a 1-1 draw against Nottingham Forest on Sunday.

Like, Guehi, Eze was named in former Eagle Gareth Southgate’s England side last week for their European Championship qualification games in June.

“He’s a special human being [and I] can’t really say anything bad about him as a person first; he’s an amazing person and an amazing person to have around the training ground,” said the defender, who moved to South London in July 2021.

“As a player, I don’t think I need to say too much, to be honest. I mean, everyone can see how good he is and even today, we’ve seen some tackles as well – he is a top player. If you haven’t seen him, then I don’t know where you’ve been, he’s a top player.

“He shows his quality and he tries to be effective, which is the most important. He’s a very humble person, a great person to be around and comes from a good family as well.”

The result on Sunday secured an 11th-place finish for the SE25 side, one above Chelsea in the table and the first time ever the Eagles have finished ahead of the free-spending west Londoners since the Premier League was created in 1992.

“Still no comment,” smiled Guehi when asked if it meant anything to finish above the club which he left to join Crystal Palace.

“Today we expected a tough game and got a tough game and, on another day, we could have won the game,” he added about the final test of the season against Forest. “On the whole, it’s been a tough season, but we’ve shown good resilience to be in the position that we’re in today.”

After conceding a 31st-minute strike from Taiwo Awoniyi, Roy Hodgson’s men rallied and came back strong, equalising in the second half through Will Hughes.

The 66th-minute strike from the midfielder was his first Premier League goal for the Eagles and came on his 50th appearance for the South London side.

“I think he wanted to score [too] – considering who he was playing against and where he’s coming from, you can understand why,” said Guehi when asked about the Selhurst Park crowd willing the former Derby midfielder to score throughout the game.

“He’s been great. He’s been fantastic. He’s a real leader for sure, someone that you can definitely rely on, someone that the fans love and a top professional.”

Two leaders that will not be playing alongside Guéhi next season will be club captain Luka Milivojevic and vice-captain James McArthur with the club confirming they would not be renewing their contracts this summer.

And the defender, who grew up mainly in Lewisham, was full of praise for the person first and the player second.

“I don’t think any words would explain how amazing they’ve been for the club and for the players,” said the 22-year-old. “They’re real leaders, real great characters, fantastic footballers, personalities, amazing, good people, and I just wish them all the best for the rest of their lives.”