Crystal Palace are considering groin surgery for Adam Wharton, with his persistent injury unlikely to “disappear” on its own, according to manager Oliver Glasner.
Wharton was this week included in the 25-name shortlist for the European Golden Boy award and his performances for Palace after joining from Blackburn in January saw him named in England’s Euro 2024 squad.
But the 20-year-old midfielder has been taking painkillers to get through Eagles games this season and dropped out of the England Under-21 squad in both the September and October international breaks to manage his underlying injury.
“He’s ready for Monday” Glasner said, with Palace facing Nottingham Forest at the City Ground on Monday night as they hunt for a first Premier League win of the season.
“It is always the same; we have to manage him”, Glasner added. “He saw another specialist [during the international break], and it always has an up and down. He’s trained quite well this week, so he’s available and okay.”
Asked whether the injury could persist all season if left untreated, Glasner admitted: “We don’t know at the moment. It does not look like it will disappear. We are looking for the right moment for the right break. I looked at the schedule and didn’t find a break. I’m used to having a break around Christmas, but it is the busiest time here.
“We will see. As long as he can deal with his problems and the pain especially, we will try to keep it as it is. When it gets worse, maybe he will need a longer break and surgery.
“I don’t want to talk in detail. It’s not about giving him a two-, three-, four-week break, it’s having a surgery or not. That’s the question we have to answer.”
Glasner admitted he has struggled to come to terms with Palace’s slow start to the new campaign, revealing he “tried to switch off” during the international break while spending time with family in Austria. He admitted family members told him: “It’s like you’re not really here.”
Palace will not welcome Cheick Doucoure back for the Forest game, with the plan that the Malian midfielder will begin training “in part” after Monday’s match.
But Palace received positive news in the last few days, with the club suffering no fresh injuries from the players who represented their national teams this month.
Glasner said of right wing-back Daniel Munoz: “He’s fit. He trained today [Friday] for the first time — he’s fine. He would have played 90 minutes twice for Colombia [if he went on international duty].
“You can’t cheat your body. Daniel has played so many minutes that his body said: ‘Man, I need a break.’ He had this break now.”
