Crystal Palace hopeful over Adam Wharton injury boost for Brighton and Arsenal clashes | OneFootball

England midfielder close to returning after groin surgery, while summer signing Chadi Riad is stepping up his own injury recovery

Crystal Palace are hopeful that Adam Wharton will be available for crucial upcoming fixtures against Brighton and Arsenal in December.

The Eagles have been without their influential England midfielder since the decision to operate on a lingering groin injury he had been carrying since the summer’s European Championship was finally taken in early November, with the issue having been bothering him all season and impacting his performances.

Wharton was expected to be sidelined for several weeks while he recuperates and he’s missed the last five matches since being forced off early in the 2-1 Carabao Cup win at Aston Villa on October 30 - a game that also saw attacking talisman Eberechi Eze suffer a hamstring injury.

While Saturday’s visit of defending Premier League champions Manchester City to Selhurst Park will come too soon for the 20-year-old’s return, Palace - who secured only their second top-flight win of the season away at fellow strugglers Ipswich on Tuesday - are hoping to get him back in time for the trip to face fierce rivals Brighton on December 15.

Getting closer: Adam Wharton could be back in Crystal Palace action next week

Getty Images

After that comes a Carabao Cup quarter-final showdown with Arsenal at the Emirates Stadium, which is swiftly followed by a league game against the Gunners at Selhurst before Christmas.

"Adam was out for four weeks, but he trained with us,” Palace boss Oliver Glasner said at his pre-City press conference on Friday.

"If he can train completely next week, then maybe he will be available for Brighton. We have Brighton, and then Arsenal twice, and we really hope that he's available for those games.”

Meanwhile, Glasner also confirmed that summer signing Chadi Riad was set to play for Palace’s Under-21 side next week as he continues to step up his fitness following a serious knee injury that has kept him sidelined since August.

"They're going in the right direction, training with us but for both [Chadi and Adam] the game is too early,” Glasner said.

"Especially for Chadi, because he has been out for three-and-a-half months now. He will play with the Under-21s on Tuesday, getting his first 45 minutes in three months. He's doing really well."

Glasner also said he has no concerns over potential distractions for Palace skipper Marc Guehi, who made headlines this week after he wrote “I love Jesus” and “Jesus Loves You” messages on his rainbow captain’s armband - worn as part of Stonewall’s Rainbow Laces campaign in support of the LGBTQ+ community - during the recent matches against Newcastle and Ipswich.

"No. I think you just have to look at his performances,” Glasner said when asked if he was concerned over Guehi’s focus being elsewhere.

"Marc is playing great. He's one of our key parts in our defending style, and he gets more and more confidence with his team-mates.

"He has two new team-mates next to him in the defensive shape, so no. Marc is in the best situation."

Create a FREE account to continue reading

Registration is a free and easy way to support our journalism.

Join our community where you can: comment on stories; sign up to newsletters; enter competitions and access content on our app.