Oliver Glasner has confirmed that Daichi Kamada will be sidelined for several weeks after picking up a hamstring injury during Crystal Palace’s 3-0 loss to Manchester City.
Kamada was substituted for Will Hughes in the 67th minute on a difficult afternoon for Palace as they missed the chance to climb back into the Champions League spots.
The Japan international was treated on the pitch before hobbling along the touchline for further checks rather than taking his place alongside his team-mates on the bench.
The Eagles, who were able to welcome back Ismaila Sarr following an ankle ligament issue, are already carefully managing the workload of Jean-Philippe Mateta, while Daniel Munoz has been ruled out until the new year after undergoing knee surgery.
Injuries are mounting for the south London side ahead of a hectic festive schedule, and with Sarr set to depart for the Africa Cup of Nations next week, Glasner is becoming increasingly stretched for selection options.
The Austrian last month called for attacking additions in January, and with Kamada now unavailable, pressure will grow on Palace to support Glasner when the transfer window opens.
“It’s his hamstring,” the Eagles boss said of Kamada’s latest injury.
“We have to assess him. We have a scan tomorrow. It was just an incident. He over-stretched his knee and his hamstring got a full stretch, full extension.
“I said to him, joking, ‘Daichi, you have no muscle, you can’t have a muscle injury.’
“It looks like we will miss him for a few weeks, but I think he did well, very well.
“The next one [player] will step up, this is how we are, and we keep going.”