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Crystal Palace striker Jean-Philippe Mateta still in contention to play for France at World Cup
Jean-Philippe Mateta received a World Cup boost after it became clear he would not need surgery on his injured knee.
The Crystal Palace and France the striker has not played since the home defeat to Chelsea on January 25 and saw a deadline day move to AC Milan fall through as the Serie A side were unconvinced by Mateta’s fitness.
The 28-year-old made a strong impression with Les Bleus in the autumn, making his debut against Azerbaijan on October 10 and scoring on his first start against Iceland three days later.
An operation could have ended his dream of representing France at the World Cup this summer, but it is now hoped that a period of rest and rehabilitation will allow him to return to full fitness before the squad is decided in May.
Palace boss Oliver Glassner said: « Thankfully he doesn’t need an operation. The knee, the injury is not as bad as we feared and so we think and the opinion of several specialists and doctors is that we can manage the knee better than an operation. He will miss some time, I can’t say two weeks, three weeks, four weeks. He doesn’t need an operation, that’s positive and hopefully he will be back soon. »
Jean-Philippe Mateta’s statistics in the Premier League this season
Applications: 23
Goals: 8
xG: 11.97
xA: 1.24
Penalties taken: 3
Hit Joinery: 1
Mateta disappointed by Milan’s loss
Mateta expressed his desire to leave Selhurst Park and Glassner admitted the player was disappointed a move to AC Milan did not go through.
He added: « It was disappointing but he’s looking forward to the next few months. It’s good for him now that he has a final decision. Of course, in the end he made the final decision with the recommendations of the specialists and the medical departments, so they will do the rehabilitation here at the training ground. »
« He wants to come back as soon as possible and contribute to our goals. That’s his mindset and I think that’s the best he can do.
« I’m 100% confident that JP will give us his best when he pulls on the Eagles jersey again.
« I think he deserves the best support and I’m pretty sure our fans will support him as best they can. They appreciate what he’s done for Crystal Palace. »
Palace’s win at Brighton was good – Glassner
Palace ended a dismal 12-match winless run when they secured a spirited 1-0 win against Brighton in the M23 Derby at the weekend.
It was the perfect tonic for Palace fans who had to watch captain Mark Gwehi depart for Manchester City, Mateta declare his desire to leave and Glassner confirm he will not extend his contract when it expires at the end of the season.
« For anyone who likes Crystal Palace, it’s a difficult period, but that’s sport and life, » Glassner said. « We’ve had many, many months of fun and now it’s more about finding solutions, so it was nice to win in Brighton. A special win, of course, in the derby. We’ve talked about it often, now we have more opportunities, more players are back. »
The win at the Amex moved Palace nine points clear of the bottom three and they have an excellent chance to go further when they host struggling Burnley tomorrow night.
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