While in Marbella, Oliver Glasner’s team is scheduled to play a friendly against Bodo/Glimt. These three young Crystal Palace players could start.
Oliver Glasner joined the team in the middle of a hectic February, so he may have been too busy to effectively introduce his concept of football to the players, as evidenced by Crystal Palace’s uneven play thus far.
Arriving during a week when there are games, he has probably been concentrating on getting ready for them. He will have plenty of time on the training pitch to increase his team’s level of fitness and have them playing the way he wants them to now that there has been a little break.
Glasner may also get to play some seldom-seen youth players in Thursday’s friendly versus Bodo/Glimt.
These three young people might be given an opportunity this week.
Umeh Franco
Right-winger Franco Umeh is the first player we’d love to see Glasner give a chance. Given his merit, the 19-year-old Irishman might be the ideal Jordan Ayew replacement for this match.
He has been excellent with the Eagles in the Premier League 2 this season, recording nine goals and an assist in 13 games.
Umeh signed for just £64k to come from Cork, and he has only been at Selhurst Park for a year. Umeh ought to be given the opportunity since Glasner could accomplish so with a different alternative on the wing.
David Ozoh
The next guy Glasner should give an opportunity to is David Ozoh, an 18-year-old Spanish-born star for England’s U18 team.
When given the chance this season, Ozoh has been incredibly impressive, as seen by his incredible performance against Manchester City.
Despite having participated in nearly a dozen senior team games this season, he is consistently brought on as a late substitution. He merits this opportunity to demonstrate why he ought to be higher on Palace’s hierarchy than Will Hughes.
Ahamada Naouirou
Naouirou Ahamada, a 21-year-old French midfielder, is the last and most likely player we want to see play in this friendly match.
Though he hasn’t exactly flourished thus far, Ahamada is one of the players we were most eager to see under Glasner. In the three games under Glasner, he has only played 44 minutes, so he still has a ways to go before he can win over the Austrian.
Ahamada is a player whose expectations are high, having signed for a large amount of £10.2 million; therefore, Glasner should allow him to shine.