Crystal Palace manager Oliver Glasner has opened up on the disagreement between him and Nigerian midfielder Christantus Uche after the player suggested that the coach no longer trusted him at the club, Soccernet.ng reports.
Uche has endured a frustrating campaign at Selhurst Park since arriving on loan from Spanish La Liga side Getafe CF. The Super Eagles midfielder has made 22 appearances in all competitions this season, but almost all of them came from the bench. He is still waiting for his first Premier League start and has not played a competitive match in nearly two months.
The lack of minutes appeared to boil over earlier this week when the 22-year-old gave an emotional interview to Read Crystal Palace.
Speaking about his difficult season in England, Uche hinted that his relationship with Glasner had broken down.
“…. I hope to make you proud whenever I do get the chance to play, but I know maybe it won’t happen again because the coach doesn’t like me,” Uche said.
Those comments quickly attracted attention ahead of Palace’s UEFA Conference League semi-final clash, with many supporters questioning whether the midfielder’s time at the club was already over.
Speaking during his pre-match press conference, Glasner attempted to calm the situation and insisted the issue had nothing to do with personal dislike.
“For me, I never blame the player for somethings. This stays internal. Uche wasn’t registered for the second part of the Conference League. I had a conversation with him, he wasn’t pleased with it,” the Austrian tactician revealed.
The Palace manager explained that UEFA squad registration rules forced him into a difficult decision after the club brought in new attacking options during the season.
Crystal Palace: Glasner explains Conference League decision
According to Glasner, injuries and squad planning played a major role in Uche being left out of the Conference League squad.
“I had to take a decision due to the rules. We had new signings coming in. Honestly, If I had known that Eddie Nketiah wouldn’t get fit, Uche would have been registered.
“But at that moment, we thought Eddie was close to returning. We had Strand Larsen, Brennan Johnson, Mateta, and Eddie Nketiah. This was the reason, and from that day he felt that I don’t like him.
“There was nothing personal. I like him as a person, but again I had to take a decision.”
The Palace boss also insisted that the club continues to support the Nigerian despite his lack of game time.
“Every player who is here gets the best possible support we can give him. On the other side, you also have to be open for support. Support is never a one-way direction, it’s always vice versa. He’s our player, and he’ll get all the support.
“It looks like he doesn’t make a game for us. There are some reasons for it, but I want to keep this in-house. I’m always talking to the players directly and not over the media, this is what everybody deserves.”
Uche is now expected to leave Crystal Palace at the end of the season and return to Spain after failing to trigger the purchase clause in his loan agreement.
Palace reportedly agreed to pay between €18m and €20m for a permanent transfer only if the midfielder started 10 Premier League matches. However, he failed to make a single league start during his spell in south London.
Although he is set to return to Getafe, reports in Spain suggest the La Liga side may still sell him this summer to ease financial pressure. Several Premier League clubs, including Everton FC, Newcastle United FC, Wolverhampton Wanderers FC and Brentford FC, are believed to be monitoring his situation.
Interest has also been linked with AC Milan in Italy and OGC Nice in France, although sources close to the player claim Uche would prefer another opportunity in English football after his difficult experience at Crystal Palace.
