ADAM Wharton will be fit for Crystal Palace’s trip to Nottingham Forest on Monday night, Eagles boss Oliver Glasner has confirmed.
Midfielder Wharton, 20, didn’t join up with the England under-21s in the international break and instead saw a specialist for an ongoing groin issue.
“He is ready, but it’s always the same, we have to manage him,” Glasner said in his pre-match press conference on Friday. “He saw another specialist, so it’s always an up and down.
“He trained quite well this week, he’s in good shape, so it’s okay.”
Glasner added: “It doesn’t look like [the issue] will disappear, and we are looking for the right break. I looked at the schedule and I didn’t find a break. We are used to having a break at Christmas [in Germany], but it’s the busiest time here.
“We will see. As long as he can deal with his problems, with the pain especially, we try to keep it like it is, and when it gets worse maybe he has to get a longer break and a surgery.”
Glasner gave an update on the rest of his squad.
“No new injuries, so that’s a positive thing,” Glasner said. “They all came back from their national teams in good shape.
“But also no new injured players are coming back, so we have the same squad [as for the 1-0 defeat against Liverpool]. It looks like Cheick Doucoure will train with us after the Nottingham game – at least parts of the training sessions – so he’s maybe the guy who is closest to returning.”
Palace are eighteenth in the table after no wins in their first seven games.
Glasner said: “We tried to make the best [of the break]. Several players were playing for their national teams, some players were working individually, especially in the first week.
“Today was the first training session all together, so it’s a positive that we play on Monday. We have three days to prepare for the Nottingham game, and the evidence will be on Monday.”
