Crystal Palace: £18m star 'most naturally talented player' at Selhurst Park

Eberechi Eze deserves to be regarded as one of Crystal Palace’s most talented players, according to journalist Tom Barclay.

The attacking midfielder has struggled for minutes under Patrick Vieira, but Barclay does not feel his quality should be questioned.

Eze missed the opening months of the season as he continued his recovery after rupturing his Achilles tendon back in May.

He finally got back out on the pitch in late November, when he came on as a second half substitute against Aston Villa.

Many may have expected him to quickly regain his place in the starting line-up, given that he played 34 top-flight matches for the Eagles last term.

However, the £18m-rated star has been restricted to just six first-team appearances in the league in 2021/22, and he has only featured off the bench once in Palace’s last six matches in all competitions.

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Eze is out-of-favour at Selhurst Park at the moment, but Barclay thinks he has a case for being the most talented player that Palace have in their squad.

Speaking to GIVEMESPORT about Eze, Barclay said: “He is a player that they really like. He’s clearly a very talented player. He’s arguably the most naturally talented player at the club, or up there. He’s a similar type of player to Olise.”

It is looking difficult for Eze to force his way back into the side right now.

According to WhoScored, Conor Gallagher and Wilfried Zaha have been the team’s two best players this term, so there is no reason for Vieira to leave either of them out.

Meanwhile, Michael Olise has racked up five assists in his maiden Premier League campaign, and looks to be a huge prospect for the south London club.

As a result, it is hard to see