A lot has happened since Cheick Doucoure last played for Crystal Palace.
The Mali international has not featured for the Eagles since a 2-0 win at Leicester on January 15th 2025 due to a torn meniscus.
Since then, Crystal Palace have won the FA Cup, Community Shield and UEFA Conference League, with Adam Wharton and Daichi Kamada striking up a solid partnership in the absence of Doucoure.
The Malian has now posted an update on Snapchat which gives fans an insight into how his recovery is going, along with a peek at the new training kit.
Initial thoughts on Pierre Sage? 🤔
He can boast a 67.5% win ratio from 40 games at RC Lens 😍
Cheick Doucoure says he is “enjoying the process” as recovery continues
The Crystal Palace No.28 has now posted a video of himself being driven around the training pitches at Copers Cope, along with the caption: “Enjoying the process.”
Doucoure has a training bib covering up most of it, but fans were also able to catch a glimpse of the new training kit in the 26-year-old’s video, which you can watch below.
It is hard to tell as Doucoure – who Liverpool wanted before his injuries – only pans the camera around a bit, but it seems as if Eddie Nketiah is sitting next to the midfielder on the buggy.
The England international only managed to make 19 appearances across all competitions last season due to thigh and hamstring issues, so Pierre Sage might be putting his walking wounded to the test to see where they are at in terms of their fitness, before welcoming our World Cup stars back to Copers Cope.
Doucoure – whose problems began after rupturing his Achilles during defeat at Luton in November 2023 – and Nketiah cost Crystal Palace a combined total of around £50m in transfer fees when arriving from RC Lens and Arsenal respectively, so there is a lot riding on getting the pair back to a level where they can play regularly.
Crystal Palace’s fixtures are out for the 2026/27 season! Which game are you most excited for? 🤔
Hopefully, they can put their fitness issues behind them this summer and become key players under Sage, as Crystal Palace begin a new era under the Frenchman.
