After missing Crystal Palace’s clash against Brighton & Hove Albion, Roy Hodgson has given an update on the fitness of Eberechi Eze.
Facing a trip to the Amex Stadium was always going to be a challenge for the Eagles to fight, particularly without the threat of star players Eberechi Eze and Michael Olise available.
The duo showed their worth in Palace’s 3-2 victory over Sheffield United on matchday 22 of the Premier League season, with Eze netting two and Olise scoring the decisive winner at Selhurst Park.
Unfortunately for the South Londoners, a similar high wasn’t perceivable last time out, with a 4-1 defeat to Brighton reinforcing the importance of the pair in Roy Hodgson’s current squad.
While the Frenchman was not risked from the start due to injury concerns, the manager opted to risk the 22-year-old’s fitness at half-time, before he was agonisingly withdrawn after just 11 minutes on the pitch.
Fears over Olise potentially suffering a recurrence of the injury to his hamstring that previously saw him unavailable for five months have re-emerged, with his star counterpart, Eze, set to be out for some time.
Roy Hodgson provides Eberechi Eze injury update
Speaking after the Brighton defeat, Hodgson revealed that despite damage to the Englishman’s hamstring, the scare that currently keeps him out is “not quite as bad” as first feared.
“We think that the damage is not quite as bad as we feared it might be, but it still could be bad.
He faces a spell on the sidelines – there is no doubt about that.”
As the Eagles prepare to host Chelsea in eight days, it’s expected that the attack will be without the expertise of the 25-year-old, certainly for the test against the Blues and beyond.
Palace must be patient with Eze’s recovery
As seen on Saturday through Olise’s premature exit from play, Hodgson cannot afford to risk the future fitness of Eze, with his talent fundamental to Palace’s promise as things heat up in the bottom third of the table.
Averaging a combined 4.1 key passes per game in the league, the threat of the dynamic duo is imperative to the manager’s set-up, with all hopeful that the good times will soon resume for the pair.
Like Olise, the £100k-a-week England international has suffered with a fair share of hamstring woes, with a potential weakness in that area identifiable, making his recovery a process that must be handled with absolute caution to avoid additional doubts going forward.
After admitting that he cannot run the team “scientifically” following criticism over the decision to throw Olise into the cauldron at the Amex, Hodgson and Palace’s medical team will be expected to approach future instances with a greater risk assessment.
