One Crystal Palace player – who Oliver Glasner has never used before – has now humiliated Will Hughes in training.
Pre-season is all about improving fitness levels and getting tactical ideas across, although it is also an ideal time for fringe players to step up and impress coaches.
Now, one rarely seen player at Crystal Palace has done exactly that…
Rob Holding embarrasses Will Hughes
Some Crystal Palace fans might have forgotten all about Rob Holding.
In truth, a few may have not even known we signed the 28-year-old, given the fact he has only made one appearance since his £4m move from Arsenal in September 2023.
Even that one outing came in an underwhelming 3-0 Carabao Cup defeat against Manchester United at Old Trafford, with Holding yet to actually play a single second of Premier League football for Crystal Palace.
Now – however – the man from Stalybridge surely caught Glasner’s eye after bamboozling Hughes in training.
Footage posted by Crystal Palace from within the Baltimore-based training camp shows Holding stuck in a tough spot during a small-sided session of keep ball.
The central defender – who has never been known for his trickery in possession, with all due respect – looked likely to lose the ball under pressure from Hughes.
However, Holding somehow dragged the ball back with his studs and performed an outrageous flick, which seemingly nutmegged Hughes and allowed the Crystal Palace No.4 to escape with possession.
It was a piece of skill that even seemed to shock coaches and teammates, with one mystery figure overhead saying “how” after the moment of genius, which could be seen at the 7:05 minute mark during the video posted by Crystal Palace.
28-year-old’s situation at Crystal Palace is very confusing
In all honestly, we do not understand why Holding was signed.
As aforesaid, the Englishman made just one appearance last season, and did not play a second of Premier League football, while Crystal Palace have since signed Chadi Riad to push him even further down the pecking order.
Furthermore, Holding only has 24 months remaining on his contract, so unless a sale happens this summer, we are highly likely to make a loss on that £4m investment.
Hopefully, Dougie Freedman has a plan, as the signing of Holding is undoubtedly one of the Glaswegian’s most confusing deals.
