Speaking on the HLTCO podcast, Dan Cook has provided his thoughts on the injury sustained by Jeffrey Schlupp.
The versatile Crystal Palace man, who is able to play in several different positions such as full-back, winger or even as a central midfielder, is set for some time on the sidelines, so that versatility may be lost for now after picking up an injury while on international duty with the Ghanaian national side.
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It has been reported as a hamstring injury, but the severity of it is yet to be confirmed, and may not be until he arrives back at Palace’s training ground, but given Crystal Palace’s lack of depth at left-back – one of the positions that Schlupp can operate in – it could be a blow for Patrick Vieira.
Cook gave his thoughts on what the injury to Schlupp means for Palace.
“Unfortunately, he was forced off 27 minutes into an international qualifier, I believe it was a hamstring issue.
“We don’t know the full extent of Jeffrey Schlupp’s hamstring problem here. Of course, he’s not necessarily someone that’s been injury-free in the last 12-18 months.
“There was a problem last season which made him miss 10 or 11 games – I’m not sure of the exact number, but it was a prolonged period of time that Jeff was outside the first-team bubble.
“Of course, he has featured heavily in Patrick Vieira’s first team at the start of this season, so it’s a pretty big blow for us. Obviously, we haven’t got complete clarity on how long Jeffrey Schlupp will be sidelined for, but whenever you do have a hamstring problem and are forced off the pitch, it doesn’t necessarily bode well.
“So hopefully by the time he returns to south London and starts receiving treatment, [it will be confirmed as] more of a tweak than a full-on tear.”
TIF Thoughts on Schlupp’s injury…
Schlupp’s main position is as a left-midfielder and is also the only natural one at the club (according to Transfermarkt), which could force Vieira into either a reshuffle for their next match against Tottenham Hotspur, or to play players out of position.
Palace experienced a successful transfer window, bringing in reinforcements at the back as well as in the final third, which was required given they released 11 players as free agents this summer. However, a position that was arguably ignored was the flanks, with pressure potentially being thrust upon Wilfried Zaha’s shoulders to do the business out wide for the Eagles.