04 January 2024 , 06:00
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Roy Hodgson says Crystal Palace are finally ready to unleash Brazilian starlet Matheus Franca.
The 19-year-old forward arrived last summer in a £15m deal from Flamengo. But he spent the first two months of the campaign injured and has since needed extra time to adapt to his new surroundings.
However, with Michael Olise sidelined by a new hamstring strain, Franca is in contention for a first start as the FA Cup third round gets underway when Everton visit Selhurst Park tonight. And Hodgson expects Palace fans to be enamoured with the latest young talent found by recruitment chief Dougie Freedman.
“He’s very bright,” Hodgson said. “He’s received the messages on the coaching side. But don’t forget he came injured and had a stress fracture. He was in the hands of the medical and sports science department for the first two months here.
“It’s been in the last two months where we’ve had him every day fit to use. And in the two months I’ve had to work with him, I’ve realised what a talented player Doug Freedman has found.
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“The decision to bring him in was made even before they asked me to come back to the club for this season. Doug said they have a good one here but he’ll need a bit of time to adjust and acclimatise. That’s just been the case.
“In my opinion, he has acclimatised and adjusted. Now we need to give him his opportunity, at some stage, and see what he can do. Our thoughts are very much that he gets a lot of backing from the coaching staff and myself because he deserves that backing.”
Michael Olise injured his hamstring in the final moments of the win against Everton (MI News/NurPhoto/REX/Shutterstock)Olise came off injured at the end of Saturday’s 3-1 win at home to Brentford, which eased Palace’s relegation worries. Hodgson hopes the injury is not serious but there is no timeline for Olise’s return.
The French star only returned in mid-November having missed the first three months of the season with another hamstring issue. And his impressive form during that comeback has prolonged the wait for Franca.
Hodgson added: “He’s been ready for a while now, probably the same time Michael Olise came back. That was a bit unfortunate for him. If Olise’s injury had gone on longer, he’d have gotten his chance a little earlier. But certainly we’ll see plenty of him and the fans and club will like him. They will appreciate his play.”