Crystal Palace injury news for Bournemouth match

Oliver Glasner, the manager of Crystal Palace, gave both positive and negative injury updates prior to their Boxing

Day match against Bournemouth today.

While fellow Three Lions member Adam Wharton is expected to be sidelined for a longer than anticipated period of

time, England offensive midfielder Ebere Eze, who was born in Greenwich, is scheduled to return for the South Coast

match this afternoon. Ebere Eze missed Saturday night’s 5-1 loss to Arsenal.

After Eze sustained a foot injury in the first half against Brighton earlier this month, Glasner stated on Christmas Eve

that “it look like [he will be]” in reference to the player’s prospects of playing against Bournemouth. We will have to

wait for the response, but it appears that he trained today. Ebs will return.

Glasner also stated that defender Trevor Chalobah is returning after taking the weekend off, while wing-back Daniel

Munoz is ready for selection following a suspension.

“It’s all right, Chalobah,” Glasner remarked. “All the others who were fit are fit, and it was only his third game in a week.”

Wharton has surgery on a groin problem in November and has not played since.

“It’s difficult to tell you a timeline, because we don’t know,” said Glasner. “For me, it looks more than four weeks [to

return, that’s] more realistic than two weeks.”

In more positive injury news, summer signing Chadi Riad, who has not played for the first team since August after

picking up a knee injury, and striker Matheus Franca, who has not played this season yet, are edging closer to the first team.

“Chadi is training with us, [we’re] taking our time,” said Glasner to the South London Press about the Moroccan

international who recently completed a half with the academy team as part of his rehabilitation.

“Franca is getting much better, it could be that he trains with us at the beginning or middle of January. He was out

for eight months, so let’s see how quick he would come back, but both are on their way back.”

Glasner also stressed the importance of the long-term injured players being an active part of the first team, despite

their lack of action in the first team.

He said: “This is always the toughest time as a player – when you’re injured and when you have setbacks and start

again. You work hard, work hard, see the players on the pitch, but you have to work in the gym, and then you feel you

come closer and closer [to returning], and then, ‘bang’, back again (injured).

“It’s the toughest, toughest time, but we have all the support here from our rehab and medical team.

“I’ve always said that when we have our post-match analysis, all the injured players are involved. [It’s important]

that they are part of the team, to see what we’re talking about, how we want to develop and play. We try to find

moments where they are with the team and this is what we try to do, but no player will be happy when he has to train

individually and is injured.”

Crystal Palace injury news for Bournemouth match – good and bad news on selection front for Glasner