Oliver Glasner now shares what Matheus Franca is really like behind the scenes at Crystal Palace

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Matheus Franca is yet to find any rhythm at Crystal Palace since his move to SE25 back in August 2023.

Dougie Freedman – Director of Football at Selhurst Park – saw enough promise in the Brazilian to convince Steve Parish to part with £26m, to secure his signature in a move from Flamengo.

Unfortunately, a combination of Roy Hodgson constantly ignoring the South American, and then a niggling groin issue arising once Oliver Glasner replaced the stubborn Englishman, has led the Crystal Palace No.11 to struggle in south London.

At the moment – however – he is not the only one struggling, as Crystal Palace sit 18th in the Premier League after a winless start to the 2024/25 campaign.

Position	Team	Played MP	Won W	Drawn D	Lost L	For GF	Against GA	Diff GD	Points Pts
17	IpswichIpswich	7	0	4	3	6	14	-8	4
18	Crystal PalaceCrystal Palace	7	0	3	4	5	10	-5	3
19	SouthamptonSouthampton	7	0	1	6	4	15	-11	1

Fans have barely been given a chance to familiarise themselves with Matheus Franca – now, however, Glasner has spoken at length about the Brazil U20’s character.

Oliver Glasner praises Matheus Franca

Speaking before Saturday’s 1-0 defeat against Liverpool, the Austrian expressed sympathy for the 20-year-old.

Edmund Brack of the South London Press quotes Glasner as saying: “I have a lot of respect for him. He’s a young guy coming from Brazil. With everything that has happened, he could be very down and frustrated.

“There are some moments where he is, but he stays very positive and accepts all the rehab. You see all boys working on the pitch, and you have to be on the bike again, working in the gym again, going to the specialist and going to the doctor.

“What none of us want, and this is what his life has been like for months now. He’s very positive and joins almost every meeting we have here.

“He looks at how we play, and when we ask the players questions, he’s one of the guys who answers first. Big respect for this young Brazilian guy.”

Impatience is certainly creeping in as fans want to see one of the club’s most expensive signings in action, but in the meantime, these comments are very encouraging to hear.

When the Crystal Palace No.11 could return

No exact timeframe has been provided on when the man from Rio de Janeiro could regain full fitness, although Glasner gave a brief indication.

The 50-year-old revealed in his press conference on Friday that Franca, who Will Hughes rates, is unlikely to play before 2025 arrives, which is a real shame, even more so given our lack of attacking success and consequential poor results.

Furthermore, Franca also sadly missed the entirety of pre-season under Glasner, giving himself a mountain to climb in terms of building match fitness.

Hopefully, once the Brazilian returns to action, he will stay injury free and begin to assert himself at Crystal Palace.