Patrick Vieira Backing Eberechi Eze to be Key Player for Crystal Palace
Crystal Palace manager, Patrick Vieira has demanded an end to comparisons between Chelsea midfielder, Conor Gallagher and Crystal Palace midfielder, Eberechi Eze, insisting the latter will not be stepping out of anyone’s shadow when Crystal Palace host Arsenal in the Premier League curtain-raiser.
Gallagher’s successful loan spell with Palace in 2021/22 helped earn him international recognition with England before he returned to Chelsea, leaving some concerned about how Vieira would cope without him.
Eze looked very much the potential solution in pre-season, appearing on top form after spending much of the last campaign getting his career back on track following an Achilles injury sustained in May 2021.
“The profile and the quality of those players are completely different,” said Vieira.
“I think [Eze] would be shining even if Conor was here. He went through a really difficult period with the injuries, but he finished the season quite well and has played the last couple of games since the start of pre-season.
“He’s been training every single day, so I believe he’s getting to his best and will be an important player for us.
“I don’t expect Ebs to give us what Conor gave us last year. They play in a different way. They have different strengths and it will be important for those players to play with their quality, and I believe that we can be as good as we were last year.”
