‘Cruel Blow’ – Crystal Palace boss Roy Hodgson responds to striker injury

MANCHESTER, ENGLAND - JANUARY 18: Cenk Tosun of Crystal Palace looks on during the Premier League match between Manchester City and Crystal Palace at Etihad Stadium on January 18, 2020 in Manchester, United Kingdom. (Photo by Michael Regan/Getty Images)

Cenk Tosun suffered a serious knee injury in training mid-week which resulted in his Crystal Palace loan being cut short.

Tosun has returned to Everton and will miss the rest of the season as a result of his knee problem.

Palace boss Roy Hodgson responded to the injury news in his pre-match press conference against Watford which the striker would probably have featured in had picked up the injury.

Hodgson said it was a ‘cruel blow’ both for the Eagles and Tosun. The Palace manager wished the Turkey international striker all the best with his surgery and underlined that he hopes to see him return soon.

READ: Erling Haaland names Alexander Sorloth the ‘King of the North’

“It is a real blow, a massive blow in particular for him. He has been finding his feet here at the club and looking good in training,” Hodgson said.

“We felt it would be great to have him [in this latter part of the season] and he would have brought something different for us.

“It has come at a bad time for all of us, but most importantly for Cenk [Tosun]. To be hit by this cruel blow, we have enormous sympathy for him, and we wish him well with the surgery and hope to see him back soon.”

Tosun is back at Everton where he will undergo surgery under the supervision of club doctors.

The 28-year-old will miss Euro 2020 for Turkey as a result of the injury blow.

The striker does still have another two-years on his contract but struggled for playing time at Everton which is why he joined Palace on loan.