17m Crystal Palace gem unlikely to play again in 2024 after injury update

Crystal Palace youngster Matheus Franca hasn’t featured at all yet this season and now a new injury update has emerged regarding the Brazilian.

Franca’s frustrating injury-hit period

The 20-year-old joined the Eagles from Flamengo last year for an initial £17m, coming in as an exciting South American talent with a bright future in the game. An Under-20 and Under-16 international for Brazil in the past, the hope was that he would light up Selhurst Park with his attacking quality.

Instead, Franca’s time at Palace has been extremely frustrating to date, with just one Premier League start coming his way in the whole of last season, as well as nine appearances as a substitute. Only one assist came his way in that time, too, and no goals.

Unfortunately, injuries have proven to be cruel for the former Flamengo man, with a serious rib issue keeping him out for a large chunk of time, as well as a groin injury.

That has meant that Palace supporters haven’t been able to see Franca in action at all so far this season, not helping their struggles in the league under Oliver Glasner. It doesn’t look as though the Eagles are going to have him to call upon any time soon either, following a fresh update.

Crystal Palace without Franca until 2025

Providing the latest on Franca’s injury situation [via journalist Bobby Manzi on X]Glasner admitted that Palace will likely be without the youngster for the rest of 2024:

“He is too far away. I don’t think that he will play many games or even one game in 2024 for us. We expected Franca to be back within two to three months and he’s still out.”

This is a bitter blow for both Franca and Palace alike, with the attacking ace no doubt desperate to prove his worth in south London, especially given the amount of money they paid for his services last year.

He hasn’t been able to gain any momentum during his time with the Eagles to date, and with Michael Olise’s departure to Bayern Munich seriously affecting the attacking quality at Glasner’s disposal, the importance of getting the Brazilian back fit cannot be stressed enough.

The Palace manager has spoken glowingly of Franca in the past, no doubt valuing him greatly, showering him with praise after the 3-0 win at home to Burnley last season:

“He had a big impact. He showed confidence and this is what I spoke with him about this week. He’s excellent in one-on-one situations but maybe he didn’t take those situations as often as he could. This is his quality – it’s nothing I have done with him. I can’t teach him one-on-ones in three days, but credit to him. He had the support from the whole team. If he had lost his duals, all the others would have fought back to get the ball back. This feeling and spirit I could feel today.”

Rushing Franca back wouldn’t be the right thing to do by Palace, so they will have to show patience with him, but they desperately need to get him back in the fold, in order to aid their Premier League survival bid.