Crystal Palace have been hit with a major injury blow as star forward Wilfried Zaha is set to spend a lengthy spell on the sidelines with a hamstring injury, according to the Daily Mail.
Zaha pulled up when his side were on the front foot and then hit the ground in frustration during Palace’s Premier League clash with Newcastle United, which ended in a stalemate.
He was later replaced by Michael Olise and post-match scans have revealed that the Ivory Coast international suffered a tear in his hamstring which will see him sidelined until early March.
Zaha will miss at least five of his side’s next five league games, including the London derby away at Brentford and the home clash with Liverpool.
He has been a first-team regular for Palace this season, and their failure to bring in attacking reinforcements mean they have had to rely on him going forward.
Zaha’s versatility has come in handy at times for Patrick Vieira’s side, with the forward able to play in every position across the front three.
He has scored six goals and provided two assists in 19 league games, accounting for nearly half of the total goals scored by Palace this season.
Having been knocked out of the FA Cup by Southampton, Palace are not in action until next weekend when they travel to Old Trafford to face Manchester United.
Their league fixtures in March begin with a trip to Aston Villa before hosting title-chasing Manchester City, and Zaha is expected to rejoin the squad within that time frame.
The 30-year-old was a target for Chelsea towards the final moments of last summer’s transfer window, but Palace managed to hold on to their star forward.
However, the Ivorian’s current deal with the Eagles will run out at the end of the season, and he looks set to leave Selhurst Park as a free agent.
Several clubs, including Barcelona and Juventus, have been alerted of his possible availability next summer and are plotting to snap him up.
