Premier League strugglers Crystal Palace could really do with Connor Wickham back as Roy Hodgson’s side toil in front of goal.
With Christian Benteke potentially out until 2019 due to injury, and Aleksander Sorloth yet to score a Premier League goal, the return of Connor Wickham could hardly be better timed.
Wickham has not made a single competitive appearance for Crystal Palace since suffering a cruciate ligament injury against Swansea City 23 months ago. But the former Sunderland and Ipswich star edged ever closer to a long-awaited first-team return on Thursday.
Wickham played 45 minutes of football in a friendly clash against Dulwich Hamlet and looked very sharp.
The 25-year-old scored with a bullet header, saw a long-range drive tipped on to the post, and showcased the power and speed that Crystal Palace have been severely lacking in attack throughout this season.
No wonder Wickham, and the Palace fans, are very excited about his return to the fold.
Crystal Palace have won just two of their eight Premier League games so far in 2018/19, scoring a paltry five goals in that time. Perhaps more worryingly, Roy Hodgson’s side have not hit the back of the net at Selhurst Park all season.
So Wickham’s return cannot come soon enough.
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