Palace star blasts club Twitter account after Hodgson said he refused to play

12 August 2023 , 15:00

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Vicente Guaita has responded after Roy Hodgson claimed he has refused to play for Crystal Palace (Image: Getty Images)

Vicente Guaita has appeared to suggest he is being denied the chance to play for Crystal Palace after he wasn't named in the squad to face Sheffield United.

Sam Johnstone was given the nod in goal for the Eagles' Premier League opener at Bramall Lane, while Remi Matthews was handed with a place on the bench. This meant Guaita was left out of the 20-man squad altogether - days after Roy Hodgson claimed the Spaniard refused to play in pre-season.

Speaking to Viaplay, Hodgson said: "He [Johnstone] is the only choice at the moment because Guaita is disenchanted with the club and has said he would like to move on. He's refused to play in our games so far.

"A complication is that he has a year's contract. It's up to the club to decide, not him. He's made it clear to everybody he doesn't want to be here and compete with Sam Johnstone. So Sam Johnstone is No.1 and Remi Matthews is No 2."

Guaita's exclusion from the squad is not a surprise considering Hodgson's comments, but the 36-year-old delivered his reaction to the news on Twitter. After Palace announced the starting XI, Guaita tweeted: "Where is my name? So how can I play for Palace? @CPFC."

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The former Getafe goalkeeper has been linked with a move away from Palace this summer after falling down to second-choice behind Johnstone at the back end of last season. Guaita was a mainstay under Patrick Viera and started Hodgson's first game against Leicester in early April, but did not feature in their final nine matches.

Vicente Guaita has been left out of Crystal Palace's squad to face Sheffield United (Getty Images)

Johnstone was given the nod by Hodgson and the ex-West Brom stopper impressed, conceding just 10 times as the Eagles finished the campaign with a flurry. Valencia have since expressed their interest in re-signing Guaita and they want to bring him back to the Mestalla this summer.

Guaita has one year left on his contract at Selhurst Park and could be allowed to leave the Eagles - five years since his move to Palace from Getafe. He had to settle for a place on the bench during his first few months at the club, but after making his Premier League debut in December 2018, he quickly cemented his place in the side.

The Torrent-born shot-stopper has made a total of 154 appearances for the Seagulls.

Kieran King