Roy Hodgson Admits Crystal Palace Remain Unsure When Wilfried Zaha Will Return From Hamstring Injury

Roy Hodgson has raised concerns over the fitness of Wilfried Zaha after the Crystal Palace manager admitted that he "doesn't know" how long his star player will be sidelined for.

Zaha missed the Eagles' FA Cup quarter-final defeat to Watford after picking up a hamstring injury in Palace's most recent Premier League loss to Brighton.

Wilfried Zaha

The winger does, however, have two weeks to recover from the knock, with Crystal Palace set to face Huddersfield in a fortnight after the conclusion of the international break.

The injury to Zaha comes at a worrying time for Palace supporters with the defeat to arch-rivals Brighton seeing the gap between Hodgson's side and the relegation zone reduced to just five points.

Hodgson refused to allay fears surrounding Zaha's availability, saying, as quoted by the Evening Standard"You never know with hamstring injuries and strains. You need to be careful.

"He felt it after the Brighton game, he didn't train during the week. We took him out on Thursday under controlled conditions, but it was obvious it would have been a serious risk.

Roy Hodgson,Ray Lewington

"With the two weeks coming up we can only hope he recovers."

Palace endured a disappointing week leading up to the international break after being dragged back into the Premier League relegation battle before seeing their FA Cup run come to an end at the hands of Watford.

The Zaha-less Eagles managed to equalise at Vicarage Road through Michy Batshuayi but succumbed to defeat when Andre Gray struck the winner 11 minutes from time for the hosts.

Roy Hodgson,Wilfried Zaha

Despite the damaging seven days, the Eagles still find themselves as firm favourites for Premier League survival with just eight matches left to play - though Hodgson admitted to his side's struggles when deprived of the influential Zaha.

He added: "He's an outstanding player. You will miss them. Today, there can be no doubt about the effort, desire about the team."

Zaha has continued to star at Selhurst Park this season, scoring eight goals and adding five assists, but his time in south London remains in the balance as big clubs throughout Europe eye the talented Ivorian international.


Source : 90min