Skip to content

Remy sent back to Chelsea for treatment on ankle

@CPFC / Twitter

Crystal Palace's new-look strike force will have to wait to partner up after Loic Remy was sent back to Chelsea for treatment on an ankle injury, the Eagles announced on Thursday.

Palace predicts Remy won't be able to join club-record signing Christian Benteke in attack for "a number of weeks" following the setback, which he suffered Monday in training. Reports from the Guardian earlier Thursday estimated Remy would be sidelined for up to two months.

The medical teams of Crystal Palace and Chelsea will be in regular discussion throughout the 29-year-old's rehabilitation.

"It is obviously a blow for the player and for us as a squad, he has just joined us and we were hoping he would play a big part in the team moving forward," said manager Alan Pardew. "He was looking great in training and this was an innocuous injury which can sometimes happen unfortunately."

Remy's first-team opportunities have been limited by repeated spells in the treatment room and a host of forwards ahead of him in the pecking order at Chelsea, but his Premier League goal-scoring pace still stands at better than a strike every two starts, largely courtesy of his stays at Newcastle United and Queens Park Rangers.

That was enough to encourage the Eagles to take a punt on the 31-time France international last month, with the option to make his move permanent at the end of the season for a £3-million fee.

In addition to £27-million man Benteke, Pardew can also call upon Connor Wickham up front, but Fraizer Campbell is still likely unavailable due to a thigh problem. Forgotten man Kwesi Appiah, who's been at Selhurst Park for four-and-a-half years since signing from non-league Margate, will probably remain outside Pardew's plans.

Midfielder Yohan Cabaye is also suffering from a groin issue ahead of Saturday's trip to Middlesbrough, meaning Pardew could be tempted to use Mathieu Flamini, the former Arsenal man who joined on a free transfer on Thursday.

Related: Crystal Palace snaps up freebie Flamini

Daily Newsletter

Get the latest trending sports news daily in your inbox