Dario Osorio should become Crystal Palace regular as standout stats emerge
Dario Osorio's strong showing for Chile versus the USA proves why he deserves more game time at Crystal Palace after the international break.
Palace won the race for Osorio's services late in the summer after several Premier League clubs were linked to his services throughout the window.
They snapped him up on loan from Midtjylland with a £22.2million option to buy after he registered 18 goal contributions for the Danish side last season.
Osorio, 22, has hardly featured for the Eagles so far since joining, with Pierre Sage preferring other options ahead of him at right wing-back and in attacking midfield.
His latest outing for Chile highlights exactly why that needs to change after the international break.
Osorio was unable to fire his country to victory against the USA on Tuesday night, but certainly gave a good account of himself in St. Louis.
Dario Osorio shone for Chile despite limited Crystal Palace minutes
Osorio made his Palace debut with a six-minute cameo against Fulham and was handed a first start for the club three days later against Middlesbrough in the Carabao Cup.
Osorio has grabbed his chance to impress Sage away from Palace over the last 24 hours, despite Chile's defeat to the Stars and Stripes.
He took the joint-most shots (5) of any player on the pitch, created the second-most chances (3), with one of those being a big chance, hit the woodwork with a long-range strike and completed two dribbles.
He also made more recoveries (6) than any of his teammates, won the most ground duels (8) and drew the most fouls (3) of any player on the pitch.
It was a stunning individual performance from a player who clearly deserves more love from Sage, who should see him as a valuable attacking option going forward.
Sage must relax his principles to give Osorio a chance
Sage has largely preferred to rely on Palace's existing players so far amid rumours that he already has doubters within the dressing room.
He praised Osorio upon his arrival at the club, but admitted that it could take some time for him to feature regularly, saying: "We needed a player with his pace in that position. He’s capable of shooting from distance; he’s scored plenty of goals that way. Those two qualities will allow us to change our style of play slightly.
“Sometimes a player is ready because he’s played and trained with his former club. Other times he needs time. It depends on the individual case. The most important thing is to field the player who can win the game."
Osorio has done enough bedding in at Palace and is clearly ready to make a genuine impact when he returns to Selhurst Park, so Sage must give him a proper chance next month.