Crystal Palace’s rising star Eberechi Eze is set for a long spell out with a serious Achilles injury which left outgoing Eagles manager Roy Hodgson “devastated”.
Hodgson confirmed Eze’s injury ahead of Wednesday’s Premier League match against Arsenal - the 73-year-old’s manager’s last home game in charge of Palace.
It is a hugely disappointing conclusion to a promising first campaign for the attacker since a summer move from QPR. Eze has managed to thrive in south London despite his £20million price tag and produced a number of eye-catching displays.
With four goals and six assists from 29 top flight starts, he was expected to be central to the plans of the next Palace manager.
Yet with a long rehabilitation on the horizon, Hodgson’s successor could find himself without Eze for the foreseeable future.
Hodgson told BT Sport: “It is devastating, devastating in particular for him because he has had such a very good season and such a good start to his Premier League career.
“He has got better and better as the weeks rolled on and he is such a good guy as well. He is such an important member of the team.
“To see that (injury) happen, in such a freak situation, it is almost impossible to understand how it happened. Then for it to be such a serious injury, we are all absolutely devastated for him.
“But he is a strong young man, a resilient young man and he will come back stronger.”
Additional reporting by PA.
