Potential boost for goal-shy Palace as striker returns to training ahead of Canaries clash
Could former Ipswich striker Connor Wickham return to action for Crystal Palace against Norwich City? Picture: Nigel French/PA - Credit: PA Wire/PA Images
Crystal Palace’s search for Premier League firepower may have been given a boost ahead of Saturday’s clash with Norwich City, after striker Connor Wickham returned to training.
The former Ipswich and Sunderland forward has endured an injury-ravaged spell with the Eagles since joining from Sunderland in a deal worth around £8million in August 2015.
However, Palace posted photos of their players in training action on their website this afternoon, highlighting that 26-year-old Wickham had returned to action having missed the last three matches through an unspecified minor injury.
His first season with the south London club was disrupted by minor injuries and he managed five goals in 21 top-flight matches but 2016-17 was ruined by a serious knee injury, limiting Wickham to just six appearances last season as well.
However, the former England U21 forward was being eased back into league action at the start of this campaign, making two brief appearances as a substitute and lasting just over an hour of a 0-0 home draw with League Two side Colchester United in the League Cup second round, which ended in a 5-4 penalty shootout loss for the Eagles.
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His potential return to contention comes with Roy Hodgson's team having scored the fewest goals in the Premier League so far this season, tied with Newcastle and rock-bottom Watford on just four from six games.
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Norwich have managed to score nine but are below 12th-placed Palace in the table courtesy of conceding 14, picking up six points so far to sit 16th, two points fewer than this weekend's opponents.
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Two of those goals were scored by Ghana international Jordan Ayew but former Liverpool striker Christian Benteke - the only other recognised striker in Hodgson's squad - is yet to score and managed just one goal from 16 league games last season.
Canaries striker Teemu Pukki already has six goals to his name in the Premier League, with only Manchester City star Sergio Aguero (eight) and Chelsea striker Tammy Abraham (seven) having scored more than the Finland star so far.
