Crystal Palace No.14 Jean-Philippe Mateta is currently the man of the moment as he fires France to the final of the Olympic Games football.
The 27-year-old scored to secure a 1-0 win over Argentina in the quarter-final, before netting two crucial goals to help France come from 1-0 down and record a 3-1 victory against Egypt in the semi-final.
As Jean-Philippe Mateta surges his way towards a gold medal, however, many Crystal Palace fans are wondering whether the Frenchman will be back in time for the Premier League opener against Brentford on Sunday 18th August…
When Mateta is expected back at Crystal Palace
A story from London News Online now states that the man from Sevran is expected back at Crystal Palace before the Premier League clash against Brentford.
France take on Spain in the final of the Olympic Games football on Friday, with The Athletic adding that Mateta will return to SE25 in time for Wednesday next week.
The £9m man has, of course, missed the entirety of pre-season training under Oliver Glasner, aside from a week where Crystal Palace recalled him from Paris for medical checks.
However, Mateta – who is a target for Aston Villa – has been keeping himself in shape by taking a personal trainer out to Brazil with him before the Olympic Games, and is obviously match fit having competed fiercely in France’s games so far.
27-year-old could start
It would be a surprise to see Mateta be thrown straight into the starting XI against Brentford, although Glasner could do exactly that.
That aforementioned story from The Athletic claims that the Austrian does want to start the Frenchman against the Bees, so if the striker feels ready to do so, we would expect to see him lining up at the Gtech Community Stadium next week.
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Hopefully, Mateta avoids any serious injuries in the final of the Olympic Games this Friday, and can maintain his stunning form back at Crystal Palace.
