Oliver Glasner moved to ease fears over a serious injury suffered by Chris Richards in Crystal Palace’s 2-2 draw with Brentford, suggesting that the USA international could be available in the coming days.
Richards had to be carried off the field without his left boot at the final whistle in west London, the center back having been introduced on the hour mark in a match where fellow center back Chadhi Riad would also suffer an injury. A collision with Igor Thiago in the 77th minute meant that Richards required treatment, though he was able to play out the remainder of the draw at the G Tech Community Stadium.
Given Richards’ excellent form over recent years, any absence for the 26-year-old threatened to be a hammer blow both for his club side, who play the Conference League final against Rayo Vallecano on May 27, and for the U.S. Richards had long appeared to be a lock for Mauricio Pochettino’s side to take on Paraguay in the hosts’ World Cup opener on June 13 and it appears he will remain that after Glasner indicated that his center back had suffered a blow that might only rule him out for a matter of days.
Glasner said that he was more concerned about Richards’ injury than that of Riad, adding, “He twisted his ankle. I think he got Thiago landing on his ankle and then it twisted. It’s quite swollen, so we have to assess it further, but hopefully he can return in the midweek.”
Richards has made 49 competitive appearances for Palace in all competitions this season, the 4131 minutes he has played placing him in the top 30 across Europe’s top five leagues. Glasner’s side complete their league campaign at home to Arsenal next Sunday, a match that key players such as Richards might have played less of, if any, given the prospect of a European final three days later. Subject to him successfully recovering, Richards would join up with the already convened USMNT squad after the Conference League final in Leipzig. You can watch the final live on Paramount+.
