Crystal Palace injury news for Bournemouth match – good and bad news on selection front for Glasner
BY ANDREW MCSTEEN
Crystal Palace manager Oliver Glasner has provided an injury update ahead of their Boxing Day clash at Bournemouth today with good and bad news.
England attacking midfielder Ebere Eze missed the 5-1 reverse against Arsenal on Saturday night, but the Greenwich-born player is likely to be back in contention for the South Coast clash this afternoon, while fellow Three Lions player Adam Wharton is set to be out for a longer-than-expected period.
“It look like [he will be]”, said Glasner, talking on Christmas Eve, about the chances of Eze playing against Bournemouth, after the player suffered a foot injury in the first-half against Brighton earlier this month. “He trained today, and we will have to wait for the reaction, but it looks good. Ebs will be back.”
Glasner also confirmed that wing-back Daniel Munoz is available for selection after serving a suspension, while fellow defender Trevor Chalobah is another returnee after being rested at the weekend.
“Chalobah, everything is fine,” said Glasner. “It was just the third game in a week [for him] and all the others who were fit are fit.”
Wharton has surgery on a groin problem in November and has not played since.
“It’s difficult to tell you a timeline, because we don’t know,” said Glasner. “For me, it looks more than four weeks [to return, that’s] more realistic than two weeks.”
In more positive injury news, summer signing Chadi Riad, who has not played for the first team since August after picking up a knee injury, and striker Matheus Franca, who has not played this season yet, are edging closer to the first team.
“Chadi is training with us, [we’re] taking our time,” said Glasner to the South London Press about the Moroccan international who recently completed a half with the academy team as part of his rehabilitation.
“Franca is getting much better, it could be that he trains with us at the beginning or middle of January. He was out for eight months, so let’s see how quick he would come back, but both are on their way back.”
Glasner also stressed the importance of the long-term injured players being an active part of the first team, despite their lack of action in the first team.
He said: “This is always the toughest time as a player – when you’re injured and when you have setbacks and start again. You work hard, work hard, see the players on the pitch, but you have to work in the gym, and then you feel you come closer and closer [to returning], and then, ‘bang’, back again (injured).
“It’s the toughest, toughest time, but we have all the support here from our rehab and medical team.
“I’ve always said that when we have our post-match analysis, all the injured players are involved. [It’s important] that they are part of the team, to see what we’re talking about, how we want to develop and play. We try to find moments where they are with the team and this is what we try to do, but no player will be happy when he has to train individually and is injured.”
PICTURE: KEITH GILLARD