Crystal Palace are due to touch down on their landmark pre-season tour of Australia and Singapore with just eight senior outfield players available.
Announcing the decimated touring party, Palace said some players’ absences were down to fitness issues, while others “did not meet the entry requirements for Singapore or Australia when travel arrangements were made”.
Foreign travellers arriving in Singapore must be fully vaccinated against Covid-19, while Australia only dropped the last of its Covid entry requirements last week.
Palace have not confirmed whether any of their absences are vaccine-related, but the disruption comes after Chelsea were forced to leave N’Golo Kante and Ruben Loftus-Cheek out of their pre-season trip to the US because of their vaccination status.
Star men Marc Guehi, Wilfried Zaha, Eberechi Eze and Michael Olise are among those who have not travelled with Patrick Vieira’s squad, along with the likes of Christian Benteke, Will Hughes and Cheikhou Kouyate.
New signings Sam Johnstone and Cheick Doucoure have also stayed in south London, where they will train under assistant manager Osian Roberts and play three friendlies, the first of which is against QPR next week.
A 26-man squad heavily supplemented by young players has flown to Singapore, where Palace are due to play Liverpool on Friday, before flying to Australia to play matches against Manchester United, in Melbourne, and Leeds, in Perth, next week.
