Oliver Glasner confirms Jefferson Lerma plan after Crystal Palace injury blow
Jefferson Lerma will not be rushed back from his hamstring injury, as Crystal Palace prioritise his desire to be fit for the Copa America.
The 29-year-old is keen to represent Colombia at this summer’s tournament in the United States.
Lerma has missed Palace’s last three matches after feeling tightness in his hamstring after a sprint to chase down Mohamed Salah in the Eagles’ surprise 1-0 win over Liverpool at Anfield on April 14.
Palace host Manchester United on Monday night, before visiting Wolves at Molineux next Saturday.
“He’s working hard”, manager Oliver Glasner said about Lerma’s recovery. “The Manchester United game is definitely too early. He’s working hard to come back for the Wolves game.
“But, at the same time with muscle injuries, we have one more game against [Aston] Villa. I expect he will be available to play against Villa.
“But then he goes to the Copa America, and it’s very important for him to play for Colombia. We will support him and take no risks that he maybe has a re-injury and misses that Copa America.
“We wish all of our players the best and we know how important it is for him. It’s the same with Marc [Guehi] and England.”
Guehi is in line to be picked in Gareth Southgate’s Euro 2024 squad if he remains fit. He has not played since February 3 but has now returned from a knee injury which required an operation and is in contention to face United.”
