Vieira confirms Crystal Palace star Wilfried Zaha returns to training after illness concerns

Zaha returns to training after illness concerns

Crystal Palace boss Patrick Vieira gave a fresh update on star Eagles winger Wilfried Zaha today, after the mercurial Ivorian did not feature last night against fellow London outfit Arsenal.

The 2-2 draw yesterday evening was the first Premier League fixture the long-time Palace forward did not suit up for Vieira this campaign, after featuring for 90-minutes across every league outing of the 2021-22 season.

Zaha also logged the same amount of minutes in the Eagles’ 1-0 loss at Vicarage Road against Watford in the second round of the Carabao Cup.

In his update, Vieira confirmed that Zaha was not suffering an illness related to Covid-19, ending any concerns that the Palace star could be out for roughly two-weeks.

Vieira also confirms Zaha illness isn't Covid-related and he was back in light training this morning.

— Mark Mann-Bryans (@MarkyMBryans) October 18, 2021

Additionally, Zaha has now returned to light training at the club’s Beckenham training ground, and should be available for their next league fixture on Saturday when they host newly-purchased Newcastle United at Selhurst Park.

Palace unlucky to only secure a point against Arsenal

Despite the absence of Zaha last night, Vieira made his first return against his old club in Premier League action for Palace and earned a very credible point in the process.

A last-gasp equalizer by Alexandre Lacazette spared the Gunners’ blushes after Mikel Arteta’s outfit trailed 2-1 in the dying moments after captain Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang had put Arsenal 1-0 up inside the opening 10-minutes of action.

LONDON, ENGLAND – OCTOBER 18: The players clash after a foul on Bukayo Saka of Arsenal during the Premier League match between Arsenal and Crystal Palace at Emirates Stadium on October 18, 2021 in London, England. (Photo by Catherine Ivill/Getty Images)

But Palace produced some good football, whilst controlling the lion’s share of proceedings on the pitch while managing double the amount of attempts on goal as Arsenal could muster, who were incredibly poor on the night and have once again come under heavy scrutiny.

The draw see’s the Eagles sitting in 14th, still with just the one win on record this term, but managing to turn some heads while doing it.