Crystal Palace have been handed a major injury boost with midfielder Cheick Doucoure likely to return to action in the Premier League this week.
The England international midfielder returned to training this week and he was involved in a closed-door friendly during the international break where he played 60 minutes. He has been on the sidelines for several months.
Crystal Palace need more quality and depth in the midfield, and the return could not have been better timed. The Eagles have had a disappointing start to the season and the return of key players will certainly help them improve.
Oliver Glasner has now revealed that he has been careful with the midfielder’s recovery and he did not want to take any risk. He added that he wants Doucoure to play in the coming weeks, but Crystal Palace will look to protect him as much as possible.
He said via London World: “I made the decision not to take him with us because it’s a little bit too risky. He trained during the week, but it’s still too close to when the injury happened. We have to protect our players. When we look at the schedule after the Villa game, with eight matches in December, we can’t afford to take any risks. I had a long chat with him today – he wanted to be with us, and I want him to play, but we have to protect him.”
The Eagles have given him extra time to return to action, and it will be interesting to see if the midfielder can make a defining impact in the coming months. The Eagles showed great improvement under Glasner towards the end of last season, but they have had a sharp decline this season. They have picked up just one win in the league so far it will be interesting to see if they can turn things around quickly.
They have a talented squad, and they will be expected to do a lot better.
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