Positive Crystal Palace injury news as Zaha, Schlupp and Wickham closing in on returns

Wilfried Zaha has returned to training but the Crystal Palace attacker is not set to feature against his former club Manchester United tomorrow night.

The Ivory Coast international has been sidelined with a hamstring strain.

But Hodgson provided positive updates on three of his squad ahead of tomorrow’s home game.

“It’s quite good news, really. He [Zaha] has returned to training, albeit a little bit modified, at the start of this week. He looks really ready to go again.

“We’ll have to wait for the green light I think from the medical staff, but it is looking positive. I think I will be able to welcome him back into the squad very soon.

“I am also pleased Jeff Schlupp and Connor Wickham have recovered from the long spells they have had on the sidelines and they are available for me as well, so it’s good news on the offensive front and we are looking much more like we should be now than we have in the last four to five weeks, where all these guys have been injured.

“I think with Jeff and Connor, they will be available from tomorrow evening.

“It is Wilf, James McArthur, James Tomkins and Mamadou Sakho at the moment that we are missing and unfortunately we are missing Nathaniel Clyne and Tyrick Mitchell with lesser injuries, which will keep them out for a week or two.”

Hodgson also revealed that Nathan Ferguson has stepped up his rehab from a knee injury which has seen him yet to feature competitively since signing from West Bromwich Albion in July 2020.

“It was his first day training with a squad on Monday but at the moment that will be the U23 squad for a period of a couple of weeks, because we don’t want to thrust him in after such a long time out with the intensity of first-team training just in case he does more damage to a muscle.

“We will give him two weeks for the U23s to see how they will progress and we hope it will go well and we can welcome him back into the fold here.”