Crystal Palace manager Oliver Glasner has given a worrying update on the fitness of Matheus Franca.
The 20-year-old forward — a nine-time international across various youth levels for Brazil — was an incredibly exciting £26m signing for Palace when he arrived from Flamengo in the summer of 2023.
Franca arrived at Selhurst Park having scored nine goals in 54 appearances for the Scarlet-Black, winning Copa Libertadores and Copa do Brasil titles.
However, his time with Crystal Palace so far has been utterly derailed by injuries, with Franca first spending an extended period sidelined with a rib fracture, while he’s currently out with a groin problem.
Franca has played just 12 times for Palace so far, failing to score and providing just one assist. Only two of those appearances have come under Glasner, while he’s yet to feature this season.
Any hope among Crystal Palace supporters that they may see Franca back in action soon has been quashed by Glasner.
In fact, the Brazilian is highly unlikely to feature at all for the rest of 2024.
“He is too far away,” Glasner said (via journalist Bobby Manzi). “I don’t think that he will play many games or even one game in 2024 for us. We expected Franca to be back within two to three months and he’s still out.”
Has Matheus Franca already played his last game under Glasner?
Matheus Franca has been plagued by injuries at Crystal Palace. (Photo by Mike Hewitt/Getty Images)
Palace finally picked up their first Premier League win of the season on Sunday, beating Tottenham Hotspur 1-0 thanks to a Jean-Philippe Mateta goal.
However, that victory still leaves them on just six points from nine games so far, only two points adrift of the relegation zone.
Glasner remains under immense pressure and rumours persist that he may well lose his job if results don’t improve soon.
With that in mind, there’s every chance that Franca has already played his last game under the Austrian coach.
..
