Direct replacement for Eberechi Eze: Crystal Palace coach Oliver Glasner reveals best position for Super Eagles’ Christantus Uche

Christantus Uche just joined Crystal Palace, and coach Oliver Glasner has tipped him to become an important player soon….

Crystal Palace coach Oliver Glasner has stated that Super Eagles midfielder Christantus Uche has the quality to be a direct replacement for Eberechi Eze, who just left the club for Arsenal, Soccernet.ng reports.

Uche joined Crystal Palace from Getafe on transfer deadline day after an impressive debut season that saw him contribute four goals and six assists in 33 La Liga games.

The Super Eagles star was brought in to give the Eagles some quality in the final third. But his exact position has always been unclear, as while he is viewed as a midfielder by some, others see him as a striker.

However, Crystal Palace boss, Glasner has decided on how to deploy Uche so he can reach his full potential.

Ahead of their game against Sunderland on Saturday, the Austrian tactician stated that he believes that Uche can play as a winger and a striker.

But he stressed that the Super Eagles star's best position is an inverted winger － basically a creative midfielder － the position Eze used to occupy at the club.

“I think he can play all three attacking positions. I spoke to him and he feels most comfortable in a ten position, which is where we also see him because we have JP and Eddie Nketiah as our number nines,” Glasner said.

“We were looking for a physical player who can play from the ten. It’s a little bit similar to Ismaila Sarr, who could play nine but is a little bit better when he has the game in front of him and can attack the space. This is what we can see with Uche as well,” Glasner added.

Uche's career has experienced a meteoric rise over the last three years. He has grown from playing fifth-tier football in Spain to playing for a mid-table Premier League club.

Under a talented coach like Glasner, he will likely improve and refine his game. He will look to have a strong debut year with Crystal Palace as they target a strong finish in the Premier League.