HODGSON BACKS EZE TO GET PALACE FIRING AGAIN

BOSS’S SUPPORT FOR STAR

CRYSTAL PALACE v MANCHESTER UNITED (8.15pm, Sky)

ROY HODGSON has backed Eberechi Eze to help Crystal Palace out of their attacking slump, but warned the midfielder he expects more from him now he has settled at the club.

Eze, who signed from Queens Park Rangers for £19.5million last summer, made a flying start to life in the Premier League but has not been hitting the same heights of late.

The England Under-21 international has been somewhat anonymous in recent games against Brighton and Fulham, with Palace managing just two shots on target across both matches.

With talisman Wilfried Zaha close to a return but not available to face Manchester United tonight, Hodgson has backed Eze to help Palace find their attacking spark.

“He started so well but now he is in the situation where it is no longer a case of everyone being delighted with every touch of the ball — we are expecting a lot from him,” said Hodgson, whose side have scored just one goal in their previous three games at Selhurst Park.

“The great thing is he is so much aware of that, he is really aware of what is required and really anxious to learn. In the last couple of games we played him as an advanced midfielder, a No10 if you like, and it was difficult for him to get into the game as we would have liked. I don’t even blame him for that.

“If we were going to use him [there] we’re going to need to do a lot more work on him in that position and we’re going to have to do better ourselves as a team in general, in terms of keeping the ball and getting enough of the ball to find him in those areas.

“I am still very, very happy with him. I still think he is one of the players that is going to help us get back to that attacking threat that we have always had but, perhaps, lost in the last three or four games.

“I’ve seen us play very well on the ball through the midfield area on many occasions through my time here and I think you sometimes go through a period where something doesn’t quite gel for you.”

Palace have been beset by injury problems, but things appear to be looking up for Hodgson. Jeffrey Schlupp and Connor Wickham could feature in the squad to face United this evening, while the Palace manager is optimistic Zaha could be available to face Tottenham on Sunday.

CRYSTAL PALACE (4-3-3): Guaita; Ward, Kouyate, Cahill, Van Aanholt; Milivojevic, Riedewald, Eze; Ayew, Mateta, Townsend

MAN UNITED (4-2-3-1): De Gea; Wan-Bissaka, Lindelof, Maguire, Shaw; McTominay, Fred; James, Fernandes, Rashford; Cavani

Palace gem: Eberechi Eze is eager to improve his attacking game