“Devastating” – Eberechi Eze facing up to eight months out with Achilles injury

Eberechi Eze is set to be sidelined for eight months after the Crystal Palace attacker suffered a serious Achilles injury in training.

The former QPR playmaker, who made the switch to SE25 in August, missed the Eagles’ 3-1 loss to Arsenal at Selhurst Park tonight.

Palace manager Roy Hodgson told BT Sport:“It is devastating, particularly for him.

“He has had a good season and such a good start to his Premier League career, getting better and better and is such a good guy as well.

“He is an important member of the team and to see that happen in a freak situation, it is almost impossible to understand how it happened. Then for it to be such a serious injury, we are all absolutely devastated for him. He is a resilient young man and will come back strongly.”

The love I have received the past couple of days from my teammates, staff, fans and friends has been so powerful and I can’t tell you all how much it means to me. It’s not ideal but I trust Gods plan for my life. His will, not mine. ❤️ pic.twitter.com/5xB53jAsQB

— Ebere (@EbereEze10) May 19, 2021

Speaking after the defeat, Hodgson further clarified the details of how the injury occurred and confirmed the next steps for treatment.

“No-one knows [exactly how it happened],” he said. “He received a short pass, he controlled the ball and went to turn with the ball and then suddenly, the next thing we know he’s lying on the floor obviously in extreme pain and has felt something in his Achilles isn’t right. [Our club doctor conducted] an ultrasound and it looked as though there was an injury, a problem there, and that was confirmed by the MRI and now an operation has been planned for him.”

Christian Benteke scored the Eagles solitary goal in the defeat, marking the strike by signalling Eze’s ‘25’ squad number with his fingers to the cameras, while Andros Townsend wore Eze’s shirt on the traditional lap of appreciation at the end of the season, highlighting that the Lewisham-born Eze was in his thoughts.

“The love I have received the past couple of days from my team-mates, staff, fans and friends has been so powerful and I can’t tell you all how much it means to me,” said Eze in a social media post after the Arsenal game. “It’s not ideal, but I trust God’s plan for my life. His will, not mine.”

Eze has played 34 Premier League matches for Palace in the 2020-21 season.