Crystal Palace have received encouraging news on Dean Henderson ahead of Wednesday’s Carabao Cup fourth-round trip to Fulham, with Pierre Sage expecting the club captain to play.
Speaking after Sunday’s defeat to Newcastle, Sage also provided updates on Jørgen Strand Larsen and Ismaïla Sarr. Strand Larsen will be assessed before the match after twisting his ankle following a tackle against Beșiktaș.
Sarr was left out of the squad against Newcastle as he continues to struggle with a groin problem. Sage said the forward had previously managed between 15 and 30 minutes, and later played 60 minutes in Lyon, but has found the issue difficult to manage. The decision was therefore taken for him to receive treatment before returning at full capacity.
Sage is also weighing up how much to rotate his team during a demanding run of fixtures. He said some players need time to recover, while others require match minutes to maintain their rhythm ahead of Saturday’s game at Tottenham.
The manager added that Palace must improve their consistency across matches. He felt the team had shown improvement compared with the previous Premier League outing at Brighton, but said the performance against Newcastle still contained periods that fell short of his expectations. Sage accepted responsibility for creating the conditions needed for greater consistency and said player selection would reflect that aim.
