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Evening Standard
Evening Standard
Sport
Dom Smith

Crystal Palace: Roy Hodgson fires warning to Vicente Guaita over ‘refusal to play’ in pre-season

Crystal Palace manager Roy Hodgson has revealed that goalkeeper Vicente Guaita has "refused to play" in pre-season after becoming "disenchanted" with the club.

Guaita, 36, lost his first-team place to Sam Johnstone towards the end of last season after Hodgson returned to Selhurst Park to succeed Patrick Vieira in March.

The veteran had been first choice since joining the Eagles from Getafe on a free transfer in 2018, making over 150 appearances, but now wants to return to the Spanish club this summer.

He has a year remaining on his contract and was not part of the Palace squad to travel to the US for pre-season.

Exit wish: Vicente Guaita wants to leave Crystal Palace and return to Spain with Getafe (Getty Images)

"He [Sam Johnstone] is the only choice at the moment because Guaita is disenchanted with the club and has said he would like to move on," Hodgson told the Scandinavian broadcaster Viaplay. "He's refused to play in our games so far. A complication is that he has a year's contract.

"It's up to the club to decide, not him. He's made it clear to everybody he doesn't want to be here and compete with Sam Johnstone. I can't physically make Guaita play but it's not certain the club will accept his refusal to play and they'll let him go.”

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