Eze's 'on fire' but what's out of his control?
Eberechi Eze has missed 10 Premier League games this season, just under a third of Crystal Palace’s matches, yet the 25-year-old has still created the most chances, performed the most dribbles and executed the most passes into the opposition box for his side.
The heir apparent to the Palace throne vacated following Wilfried Zaha’s departure last summer, Eze’s the main man in south London - and everybody knows it.
The talent is obvious, look no further than his performance against West Ham which was headlined by a spectacular overhead kick and a nutmeg assist, all to the backing track of "Eze’s on fire, your defence is petrified" being roared out of the Holmesdale Road stand.
However, Eze’s rise is more to do with perseverance. Rejected by Arsenal, Fulham, Reading, Millwall, Sunderland and Bristol City as a youngster, it was QPR who provided him with a first professional contract - faith which was later rewarded when he joined Crystal Palace in a £19.5m deal.
When I spoke to the attacker afterwards, he said the campaign "has been hard at times" because of its stop-start nature.
Eze admitted when the new manager Oliver Glasner arrived with a different system "it was a bit difficult to understand exactly what he wanted", but he added: "With each game we’re growing with our understanding and confidence."
He appears to now be in full flow under Glasner, with seven goal involvements in his past eight games (five goals and two assists). Six goals in his final 10 appearances of last season resulted in Eze being called up to the England senior squad for the first time, with Gareth Southgate admitting he is a player all the coaching staff have "liked for a long time".
Having not been available for the past two international breaks, he could again be set for a late charge for a seat on the plane to Germany.
When I asked if Euro 2024 was his target, Palace's softly spoken number 10 replied: "That's out of my control. I just want to keep playing football, enjoying each game, playing as freely as I did today. That's the main thing and, whatever happens, it’s in God’s hands."
