Oliver Glasner to unleash brilliant Crystal Palace midfielder who played in closed-door friendly during break

Crystal Palace manager is now likely to start midfielder Cheick Doucouré, who played 60 minutes in a closed-door friendly during the international break in a show of his fitness. His return will boost the team, although they will still be without midfielder Eberechi Eze.

The England international also returned to training this week and was pushing to be involved at Villa Park. However, manager Oliver Glasner, who has the backing of the club’s management as he looks to turn things around, said he spoke to the midfielder and explained why he preferred to give him extra time before returning.

Glasner told reporters ahead of the visit to Villa: “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.”

This has been a particularly difficult period for the Eagles, who have won only one league game so far this season. This contrasts sharply with their brilliant form at the end of last season, when they finished 10th and equaled their best-ever points tally.

Under Glasner, they showed gradual development, and many of their exciting players were improving. However, the departures of key players, such as Jordan Ayew, who worked tirelessly off the ball; Michael Olise, widely regarded as one of the best young talents in the league; and Joachim Andersen, one of the best at playing diagonal passes from the back, have left a void.

There has been ongoing debate about whether the team recruited well enough to replace the quality that left and whether the manager has the ability to adapt and ensure their survival in the Premier League.