Jean-Philippe Mateta (£7.5m) has been discussing his return to action in an exclusive interview with Sky Sports.
The striker has been sidelined since he was on the receiving end of a brutal challenge from Millwall goalkeeper Liam Roberts in an FA Cup fifth-round tie earlier this month.
Mateta was taken to hospital after that incident and needed 25 stitches in his ear.
“I was arguing [with the doctor] maybe for 30 seconds, ‘I want to play, I want to play’. He said, ‘No, you have to go’.
“[I could] not [feel] the pain. The blood, for sure. But I was thinking it was a little cut. My ear was like this [dangling]. But it was not painful.” – Jean-Philippe Mateta, talking to Sky Sports
Missing out in Gameweek 28, and without a fixture in Gameweek 29, Mateta could, all being well, be back in action for the plum-looking match against Southampton in Gameweek 30.
The striker has been training individually in Palace’s warm-weather camp in Marbella over the last week.
He’s even targeting a return before the trip to St Mary’s, in the FA Cup quarter-final against Fulham on March 29 – although that’s still at the “hopeful” stage.
“Hopefully, I can play [vs Fulham]. Hopefully, you never know. Hopefully, they will see me. I’m in the ground every day. The doc is the person, he will decide.
“I will wear a mask, I think so.” – Jean-Philippe Mateta
You can watch the interview below.
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