Crystal Palace have been dealt a major injury blow amid concerning reports that Michael Olise has suffered a setback during his recovery from a hamstring problem.
The 21-year-old picked up the knock while on international duty with France during the under-21 European Championship in June and was expected to sit out up to three months of action.
However, the Athletic reports that the Frenchman will be forced to wait for his long-awaited return after suffering another injury to the same hamstring last week.
Olise has not kicked a ball for the Eagles this season, with the hamstring problem ruling him out of Palace’s pre-season and start to the 2023/24 campaign.
He recently returned to team training after a period of rehabilitation, which was partially conducted in the United States at Inter Miami’s training ground.
The latest development surrounding Olise’s recovery will come as a blow to the player and his manager, Roy Hodgson, considering the Frenchman was an integral player for Palace last season.
The former Reading forward netted twice and set up a further 11 assists, helping Palace secure an 11th-place finish in the Premier League.
His numbers saw him smash a couple of long-standing club records as he became the first Palace player ever to claim ten or more assists in a Premier League campaign.
He was also the youngest-ever player to claim three assists from open play in one English top-flight match, and his 11 assists ranked him fourth in the division.
Olise’s injury problems didn’t pose much of a problem for Palace last season, featuring in every Premier League game except the season’s curtain-raiser against Arsenal.
He made 40 appearances across all competitions, and his contributions to Palace didn’t go unnoticed, with the forward attracting concrete interest from Chelsea over the summer.
Keen to lure him to the west of the capital, the Blues triggered a release clause in Olise’s contract, but the move never materialised, with the player ultimately signing a new long-term contract at Selhurst Park.
Palace are hopeful Olise will be available after October’s international break but will have to face Fulham, Nottingham Forest and Manchester United without their assist merchant.
