Carlton Palmer thinks Crystal Palace striker Odsonne Edouard will be hurting over his lack of game time but has urged him to remain patient.
The former West Bromwich Albion, Sheffield Wednesday and Leeds United midfielder was speaking to Give Me Sport.
The lowdown
Edouard became the sixth-most expensive signing in Palace’s history when he joined from Celtic last summer for a fee of £14.67million.
But he’s been unable to nail down a starting spot in his first season at Selhurst Park, with Vieira only selecting him for 15 of their 27 Premier League games so far.
To make matters worse, in the 1-0 defeat against Chelsea last month, Edouard was an unused substitute for the first time since joining The Eagles.
And the £79,000-per-week hitman watched on from the sidelines again as they were held to a draw against Burnley last time out.
The latest
Palmer thinks Edouard will be somewhat frustrated with Patrick Vieira but says his situation could be very different further down the line.
“The player will be disappointed that he’s not getting more game time,” he said. “But sometimes, these things take time to set up.”
The verdict
Edouard will surely feel he deserves to play more often. He’s bagged six goals and provided three assists so far this season, ranking him third in the Palace squad (behind Conor Gallagher and Wilfried Zaha, who both have eight).
Of all the players who have netted more than once, he boasts the best minutes per goal ratio, and it’s worth noting that he’s outscored fellow striking options Christian Benteke and Jean-Philippe Mateta.
Vieira can be questioned for refusing to turn to Edouard against Chelsea and Burnley when his side needed a goal.
Instead, he looked to Mateta for the final 30 minutes against The Clarets, and he failed to muster a single shot, registering a mere eight touches (via SofaScore).
In other news, Palace have been linked with this Championship star.
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