Crystal Palace manager Oliver Glasner singled out Christantus Uche for praise after the Super Eagles grabbed his first goal for the Eagles and also provided an assist to ensure a comprehensive 3-0 victory over Shelbourne in the UEFA Europa Conference League on Thursday, Footynaija.com reports.
Uche has found game time hard to come by since joining Crystal Palace on loan in the summer. In fact, the Nigerian was making his first start for Glasner’s side since his arrival three months ago and he did well to make the most of his manager’s trust.
The 22-year-old gave Palace an early lead, firing home in the 11th minute to get the Premier League side off to a great start. He went from goalscorer to provider less than twenty minutes later, setting up Eddie Nketiah who made sure to double the advantage.
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Yeremy Pino added the third before the half time break to seal Palace’s third win from five games. Speaking after the game, Glasner praised Uche for his display and backed him to continue to impress in Palace colours.
“Christantus deserved it. He showed up against Fulham. He showed he can help us, and he can score goals. That is now for him, maybe the starting moment at Crystal Palace,” Glasner told TNT Sports.
“For the strikers, the goals are always important. All three who played up front scored a goal, so hopefully this gives him some confidence. It was a good performance from him.”
Just as Glasnar said, Uche has been impressive in his recent outings for Crystal Palace but this uptick in form is coming a little too late with Super Eagles head coach Eric Chelle already opting to drop the 22-year-old from Nigeria’s AFCON squad.
With this latest disappointment, Uche will now zoom in his focus on becoming a key player for Glasner and the Eagles. He will be looking to maintain his great form and potentially claw his way into Glasner’s thinking for much more regular starting berths.
