Jonny Williams may need a 'new start' away from Crystal Palace, admits Alan Pardew

Williams in action for Palace in a pre-season friendly against Valencia
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James Benge16 September 2016

Alan Pardew is considering whether Jonny Williams may need “a new start” away from Crystal Palace after the Welsh midfielder struggled to break into the first team.

Williams, a popular player among the Palace fanbase, has been away from Selhurst Park on six separate loan spells since the start of the 2013-14 season and returned to Ipswich for a fourth time on deadline day last month.

The 22-year-old, who has 17 caps for Wales and played four matches at Euro 2016, has made just one league appearance for his parent club since Pardew took over at the start of 2015.

Williams missed out on the chance to carve out a role for himself in pre-season when he injured his ankle in a friendly with Farnborough and Pardew believed that another spell away from Palace would be best for the midfielder.

“Jonny and I just can't seem to come together. In pre-season he's fit and then gets injured again. It was a terrible tackle at Farnborough,” Pardew told the Croydon Advertiser.

“We were at deadline day last month and I'm looking at my numbers and thinking I can't see Jonny getting a game.

“Really and truly, with the amount of time he's got, I can't keep him here and have him as a substitute.

Crystal Palace's injury list

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“I know our fans love him, and again, he may have influenced the game at certain points as a sub more than others or he might have got himself up to speed. He might have.”

Pardew has already lost several key first-teamers to injury and sent Loic Remy back to Chelsea after the forward was ruled out for two months.

Whilst the Palace manager will consider bringing Williams back Pardew did not offer the brightest assessment of the midfielder’s long-term future at Selhurst Park.

“The more chance I've got is to send him to Ipswich with the same clause as Sullay Kaikai [on loan at Brentford], to have a look. They are two players who, potentially, could boost our season.

“We have almost had a discussion in that does Jonny need a new environment? Does he need a new start? It just seems to not be working here.”

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