Crystal Palace were hit with a huge blow on Wednesday in terms of injuries, but one man will see this as his opportunity.
Oliver Glasner may have been excited about managing his first game last weekend, but this weekend he will be thrilled about the prospect of managing the returning Eberechi Eze.
Eze is expected to be back in the fold this weekend and he could make all the difference against Spurs.
There was hope initially that Marc Guehi would be joining Eze back in the fold for this weekend. However, his return from injury has taken a substantial hit, and it’s a massive blow for Crystal Palace, which could see him out now until the final weeks of the season.
Here’s what we know about Guehi’s situation…
Marc Guehi fitness update
The blow to Guehi’s return plans came on Wednesday as it was reported he is now expected to miss up to eight weeks of action.
Sambi Mokbel reported this for the Daily Mail, as he wrote that Guehi will undergo surgery following a setback in his return from a knee injury.
This is a major blow for Palace and Glasner as Guehi was expected to be nearing a return from his injury which has kept him out since the loss to Brighton.
While this is a huge blow for the club, there’s one man who will now see this as his chance to save his Palace career and possibly earn a new contract.
Joel Ward handed Crystal Palace lifeline
Joel Ward is a 12-year veteran for Palace having joined the club all the way back in 2012. But that being said, his contract is due to expire this summer and until his move into the back three after Guehi’s injury, he seemed destined to depart.
But since then, he’s performed pretty well and formed a solid partnership with Daniel Munoz already on the right side.
So with the news that Guehi will miss another two months, Ward has been handed a lifeline at the club and could actually impress enough that Glasner opts to hand the club captain a contract extension.
Ward is set to continue on the right side of the back three for the foreseeable future which is an excellent opportunity for him to limit the impact of Guehi’s absence.
