Hodgson updates on fitness of Eze, Mitchell, Olise and more
Roy Hodgson says Tyrick Mitchell will not be available for the visit of Liverpool on Saturday, but that he may make a recovery soon after – while providing an update on the continued reintegration of Michael Olise.
Mitchell limped off in Palace’s defeat against Bournemouth, and with just three days separating the two fixtures Hodgson confirmed he has not recovered in time to face Jürgen Klopp’s side.
“He is injured, so he is another one that we have lost but that we’re ill-equipped to lose in this moment in time,” Hodgson said in his pre-match press conference. “With [Cheick] Doucouré and [Ebere] Eze still out of the team.
“You can add, of course, Rob Holding and Jes [Rak-Sakyi] to that. But our injury list isn’t enormously long, it’s just that three of the players we are missing are three regular players in the team.
“Mitchell, Doucouré and Eze are three that always play, and in the sort of team we are and the squad we have, to lose three of our regulars hits us maybe a bit harder than some of the other teams in the league.
“It was a hip injury which came as a result of a contusion which has provoked a hip injury. This game was definitely too quick coming around for him to be considered, but that doesn’t mean that he won’t be considered for the next game.”
Hodgson also provided an update on the condition of Michael Olise, who has just returned from a lengthy lay-off with injury.
“The other one we have to think about, I might as well say it now, is that we have to be making a decision about Olise,” he explained. “After almost four months out and an enormous spike in his workload in the last two games, the sports science people are telling me to be very, very careful with him.
“Not that is difficult because he’s a very good player and you don’t want to be careful with your best players, but it’s something we have to take into consideration. But as yet, we haven’t made a decision.
“We’ll talk to the sports science people and Michael himself tomorrow and then we’ll have to make a decision on can he start the game or not.”
The manager said that Ebere Eze was continuing his recovery, but was still some way off selection in the first-team.
“When he got the injury we were told and knew, and he knew really, that it was going to take a certain number of weeks.
“It was almost pie in the sky to believe that after one week or ten days he could be racing around on the field. So he's still continuing his rehabilitation. He still wants to get back as quick as he can.
“But it's certainly nowhere near tomorrow, that's for sure. The last time I saw him he was still walking around with a boot on, I don't think he'd be able to play with that.”