Crystal Palace’s Mamadou Sakho taken off at Wolves with a thigh strain amid January exit rumours

BY SAM SMITH

A thigh strain meant that Mamadou Sakho was taken off at half-time in Crystal Palace’s 1-0 FA Cup defeat against Wolverhampton Wanderers.

It adds to a long list of injuries for the defender, who has played just 20 times since the beginning of the last season.

This was his first appearance since October’s 2-1 win at Fulham and just his sixth of the campaign.

Hodgson said: “Sakho came off at half-time because he was injured. We don’t know [the extent of the injury] yet, we’ll have to wait and see.

“We’ll take it back to the training ground and assess it. There was a strain in his left thigh and it was obviously sufficiently bad enough for him not to continue – but the extent of it, I probably won’t even know that tomorrow.

“I will have to wait until the beginning of next week to find out. He’s got a thigh strain, that was no doubt.”

The Frenchman has been linked with an exit from Selhurst Park this month. A return to his homeland has been mooted alongside a reunion with former Palace boss Sam Allardyce at West Brom.

But Hodgson wants Sakho to remain at Palace, despite conceding that there are players who are unhappy with their game time.

He continued: “I’m quite happy to keep all players. That’s not a question, there is nobody I am trying to push out the door.

“But there have sometimes been players in a squad of 25 or 26 men who have been unhappy that they are not getting enough game time. they are the type of player, especially if their contract is running out, who might be looking elsewhere.

“At the moment, Mamadou Sakho is a Crystal Palace player and I am happy to work with him for as long as he is.”