ADAM CAN BE JEWEL AT PALACE SAYS ROY

ROY HODGSON is confident new signing Adam Wharton can handle the pressure of Crystal Palace’s high-stakes clash with rivals Brighton.

Midfielder Wharton (above), 19, completed his £22million move from Blackburn on Thursday and is in line to make his debut at the AMEX Stadium this afternoon, along with fellow new signing Daniel Munoz.

Eagles boss Hodgson said: “He’s been playing all the games up to now with Blackburn so there’s no reason medically why he couldn’t play if I want to put him in the team and the same applies to Munoz.

“He is mature for a 19-year-old and someone with a calm confidence and a clear idea of what he is good at and what he needs to do.

”He has a big ambition and a big desire to do well and is going from being an established Championship player to being an established Premier League player.

“And perhaps most importantly, he is someone who is really happy to be here and so really wanted to join Crystal Palace and take his chance to become a Premier League player with our club.

“Those things are important too. It’s nice to have people around you who want to be here and who believe in the club and who care for the club. I’m pretty certain our fans are going to be pleased with what he brings.”

Hodgson is hoping Michael Olise and Eberechi Eze are fit to feature after being forced off with injury in the tense win over Sheffield United on Tuesday.

The pair scored all three goals between them in Palace’s crucial 3-2 victory to ease the pressure on Hodgson (below) and help their side pull six points clear of the bottom three.

The dynamic duo have scored 11 of the Eagles’ 25 Premier League goals this campaign.

Hodgson said: “Eze came off with a tightness in his hamstring and has gone for a scan and we will have to wait to see what the result of that is.

“With Olise I am presuming and hoping he’ll be okay because it was partly precautionary when he came off.

“We agreed with him that if he felt tired as he started to feel it he should let us know and if it went beyond a certain point not to push it.

“He thought he was beginning to feel signs of fatigue so he asked to come off.

“When it came to Eze he didn’t ask us to come off, it happened during the course of the game so needs to be investigated.

“But I don’t think Olise will be out this weekend.”