Christantus Uche was left out of Crystal Palace’s squad for Saturday’s Premier League clash against Bournemouth, sparking speculation among fans about the reason behind his omission.
The Nigerian forward, who joined Palace from Getafe over the summer, recently returned from international duty after helping the Super Eagles secure victories over Lesotho and Benin during the break.
Despite being one of 15 Crystal Palace players on international duty, Uche was not named in the matchday squad by manager Oliver Glasner, even as several other returning internationals — including Yeremy Pino, Ismaila Sarr, Jean-Philippe Mateta, Daichi Kamada, Marc Guehi and Daniel Muñoz — featured in the starting lineup.
Initial reports suggested Uche’s exclusion might have been linked to his previous on-field altercation — when he struck James Tarkowski during Palace’s 2-1 loss to Everton. However, journalist Bobby Manzi has since clarified that Uche’s absence was due to a late return from international duty.
“Christantus Uche and Rio Cardines have been left out of today's matchday squad as they were late arrivals back from international duty,” Manzi wrote on X (formerly Twitter).
While it remains unclear whether the delay caused managerial frustration, sources indicate that Glasner’s decision was more about fitness and preparation than discipline. Both players reportedly missed key training sessions ahead of the Bournemouth match.
Uche’s absence paved the way for Romain Esse to return to the senior squad after spending several weeks with Palace’s U21s. The 19-year-old winger had been dropped following a subpar performance in the Carabao Cup victory over Millwall but impressed with his attitude and form for the youth side — even earning a call-up to the England U21 team.
Speaking to reporters on Friday, Glasner hinted that late arrivals from international duty would likely be rested.
“A few, like Chris Richards, Walter Benitez, Rio Cardines and Uche, just came back yesterday (Thursday),” the Austrian said. “They had their only training today, but we have a great mood here at the training ground.”
Chris Richards, who starred for the United States during the international break, was one of the few late returnees to feature, though Bournemouth capitalised early to score twice in the first half.
Palace now face a demanding run of fixtures over the next eight days — including matches against AEK Larnaca in the Europa Conference League, Arsenal in the Premier League, and Liverpool in the League Cup — a stretch that will test Glasner’s squad depth and rotation strategy.
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