Dan Cook has been speaking on the HLTCO podcast as he claimed that Jesurun Rak-Sakyi could start against Tottenham Hotspur this weekend.
Over the summer, Crystal Palace managed to appoint a new manager in Patrick Vieira, as well as adding seven new players to their squad, however, they could be looking towards an 18-year old for help when they face Spurs on Saturday in the form of Rak-Sakyi.
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This is because Jordan Ayew and Jeffrey Schlupp have both returned early from international duty having picked up injuries with the Ghanaian national side, and that has led Cook to believe that 18-year-old Rak-Sakyi could make his first start in the top flight.
Cook has given his thoughts behind Rak-Sakyi potentially getting the nod at the weekend.
He said: “One player that has committed his future to Crystal Palace from the Academy is Jesurun Rak-Sakyi, he recently won his first call-up to the England Under-20s side and got a goal on his debut for the England Under-20 team yesterday.
“There is a debatable point as to whether or not he could be pushing for a start against Tottenham once the international break actually comes to a close.
“Of course, Jesurun Rak-Sakyi is a young player with a huge amount of potential and talent, there is a belief that he will go on to be a Premier League regular, but you do wonder whether or not us being forced to play him from the start against Tottenham at this stage may well be a little bit sooner in his development than we would otherwise have liked to.
“Maybe it was a case of us looking to bring him off the bench a few more times before throwing him in from the start. Particularly in a game against the team that sits top of the Premier League table, live on BT Sport, it all weighs into the pressure that he may well feel.
“Although, if you look at the way that Jes has taken everything in his stride over the last 12 months at Crystal Palace, there’s nothing to suggest that he wouldn’t take the game by the scruff of the neck and really announce himself as a Premier League footballer.”
TIF Thoughts on Rak-Sakyi starting against Spurs…
The 18-year-old winger was called up to the England Under-20s side during this international break, which saw him net on his debut and do little harm to his chances of earning a starting berth in Vieira’s side on Saturday.
It may sound a crazy idea to throw an unproven Premier League youngster into a game against the table-toppers, who are yet to concede a goal, but looking at Palace’s options on the left-hand side, Vieira may have very few alternatives to call upon, with Will Hughes the only fit player who can play on that flank, apart perhaps from Wilfried Zaha, who has undertaken a varied role so far this term.