Crystal Palace midfielder suffers knee injury against Bournemouth in Boxing Day clash

BY ALEX PEWTER

Crystal Palace will be awaiting further assessment on Will Hughes after he was forced off in today’s 0-0 draw at AFC Bournemouth.

The midfielder exited the pitch unaided in the 53rd minute, having gone down with injury. Cheick Doucoure took his spot in defensive midfield.

Hughes has been a key contributor in Glasner’s midfield, covering the absence of both Doucoure and Adam Wharton, still sidelined. His highlight was a man-of-the-match performance against Manchester City in which he claimed two assists.

Palace manager Oliver Glasner said: “He got a knock on his knee in the first half, and we talked about it at half-time. He thought it would be okay when he was moving, but the pain was too much, so we had to take him off. Let’s see, but of course, he is questionable [for Southampton].”

Despite defensive midfield arguably being the deepest position in the squad on paper, the team has struggled to have all four players available.

With Hughes out, Doucoure is almost a certainty to start the next match at Selhurst Park, and the Austrian manager gave his thoughts on his contribution.

“Cheick did well,” said Glasner. “He knows what to do, and we know he’s a good fit with Jeff [Lerma]. He’s a very physical player, and we needed that today. Also, we needed him for [defensive] set-plays.

“He found good solutions with the ball, stayed calm in possession and passed the ball well. Sometimes he could have passed forward rather than square – but if you come into such an intense game, you need to find your rhythm. After a few minutes, he did and played well like all the others.”

PICTURE: ALAMY