Patrick Vieira could unleash ‘fearless’ Crystal Palace star for the first time against Tottenham

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Patrick Vieira could hand Michael Olise his Crystal Palace debut when the Eagles host rivals Tottenham Hotspur at Selhurst Park on September 11, according to football.london.

Olise is yet to feature for the south London side since completing an £8m transfer from Reading this summer. The attacking midfielder was Vieira’s first signing since Crystal Palace hired the Arsenal icon to replace Roy Hodgson in charge.

But Vieira has had to wait to hand Olise his Crystal Palace bow, after he joined nursing a back injury. The blow kept the 18-year-old out of the Eagles’ entire pre-season schedule and their first four fixtures of the campaign.

Olise recently joined his new Crystal Palace teammates in training and has been building his rapport over the international break. He is unlikely to have recovered sufficiently for Vieira to now start him at home to Tottenham on Saturday week.

However, there is a good chance that Vieira can name Olise on the bench and introduce him at some stage. The Crystal Palace boss could also hand Odsonne Edouard his debut after joining from Celtic on Deadline Day for £14m.

Edouard may also start the Tottenham clash, having already played 11 games this season before leaving Parkhead. While £6m arrival Will Hughes has also gone straight into training since joining from Watford, so may also feature.

Should Vieira hand Olise his Crystal Palace debut against Tottenham?

Vieira will not want to take any risks by rushing Olise into action, so will only hand him his Crystal Palace debut once the Reading product is ready. That could mean he features from the bench against Tottenham when the Eagles return to Premier League action, then.

The Selhurst Park boss will want to see what Olise can offer against the top-flight leaders, even briefly. He showed great potential in what proved to be his final year at the Madejski Stadium. Olise offered seven goals and 12 assists in 44 Championship games last season.

Former Royals teammate, Sam Baldock, also lauded Olise during their time together in Berkshire. The striker said, via the Reading Chronicle: “Michael is a real talent, he’ll get on the ball in any situation. He’s fearless, he’s a lively character and one who I’ve noticed a real change in the last couple of months.”