Jesurun Rak-Sakyi of Crystal Palace has been ruled out for up to a month with a hamstring injury.
The 21-year-old missed Palace’s weekend trip to Turf Moor, where Palace defeated Burnley 2-0, and scans have revealed that the injury will keep him out of the team’s next four games at the very least.
The problem is thought to have been discovered during training last Thursday, leaving manager Roy Hodgson without another attacking option.
Even though the upcoming international break will allow Rak-Sakyi to make progress in his recovery, a return is not expected until mid-December.
The club’s Player of the Month for October will miss this month’s Premier League games against Everton and Luton Town, as well as the early-December games against West Ham United and Bournemouth. Palace then face Liverpool, Manchester City, and Brighton & Hove Albion in the run-up to Christmas, so getting Rak-Sakyi back in time for that stretch of games will be a top priority. The Eagles lost another player to injury just as they were able to call on Matheus Franca after his summer move and welcome back Eberechi Eze after a month out.
Michael Olise is also out for the Eagles, and despite participating in some training exercises recently, his return is not expected until after the international break.
That meant Jeffrey Schlupp had to fill in as a left winger, which was a step up for him, but he thrived, scoring the opening goal in the weekend win. Hodgson, on the other hand, was devastated to lose the youngster to injury on the eve of the game, calling it “a real blow. Just as you get Eberechi Eze and Michael Olise back almost into the fold, you lose another player who we think is very important for us in our attacking play,” Palace manager Alan Pardew said.
Rak-Sakyi was named Charlton Athletic’s Player of the Year after scoring 15 goals during a loan spell with the League One club last season.
Eze did play for half an hour against Burnley, and he could make his first start since the late-September win at Old Trafford against Manchester United when Palace host Everton at Selhurst Park on Saturday.
