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Crystal Palace winger Michael Olise has suffered a setback in his recovery from injury.

The 21-year-old was ruled out of Palace’s pre-season and the start of the new campaign after tearing his hamstring while playing for France during the Under-21 European Championship in June.

That problem was expected to keep him out for up to three months, and he recently returned to team training after a period of rehabilitation which was partially conducted in the U.S. at Inter Miami’s training ground.

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But he suffered an injury to the same hamstring last week and will now have to wait to return to action.

Palace have three more Premier League games — at home to Fulham and Nottingham Forest, and away at Manchester United — as well as a Carabao Cup tie at Old Trafford before October’s international break. They are then not in action again until October 21.

Olise enjoyed an outstanding year for Palace in 2022-23, winning the player’s player of the season and the club’s goal of the season awards.

He became the first Palace player ever to claim 10 or more assists in a Premier League campaign, the youngest-ever player to claim three assists from open play in one English top-flight match, and his 11 assists ranked him fourth in the division. He featured in every league game except the season’s curtain-raiser against Arsenal.

Those 40 appearances in all competitions came despite an ankle injury that led to him missing a chunk of the preparations for the new campaign, while a back complaint had affected him after signing from Reading for £8million in 2021.

Despite strong interest from other clubs, in particular Chelsea, this summer, he signed a new four-year deal with Palace to remain at the club.

With Olise now set for a further spell out, Palace will hope the injury that forced Jordan Ayew off in the first-half of their 3-1 defeat by Aston Villa on Saturday is no worse than first feared.

Assistant manager Paddy McCarthy said that the initial assessment was a dead leg.

Should Ayew be ruled out of their next game against Fulham it would leave Palace without a recognised senior right winger.

Matheus Franca, the 19-year-old signed from Flamengo in the summer, is close to a return to training having also missed the start of the season through injury. He is capable of playing on either wing, as a No 10, as a second striker or as a false nine.

GO DEEPER

Clause and effect: How Crystal Palace won the battle over Olise's future

(Photo: David Horton – CameraSport via Getty Images)

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