Pierre Sage 'fed up' with Crystal Palace star Evann Guessand - 'He's not good enough'

Pierre Sage is becoming "fed up" with Evann Guessand at Crystal Palace amid doubts about his long-term future at the club.

The 25-year-old was dropped from the Palace squad ahead of their 3-2 win against Fulham earlier this month, and has not played a single minute in the five games since then.

Sage has recently explained that the Ivory Coast international did not respond the way he had hoped to the criticism of his performances, casting doubt over his position.

Former Man United chief scout Mick Brown told Football Insider that the Crystal Palace boss is already growing frustrated with Guessand and needs to see improvements soon.

The Frenchman has been highly critical of his players when they are not at the top level, but while Jaydee Canvot and Dwight McNeil bounced back, Guessand has failed to do so.

As a result, the forward has dropped well down the pecking order at Selhurst Park, and with Ismaila Sarr and Jean-Philippe Mateta returning, will only fall further.

What is next for Evann Guessand at Crystal Palace?

Brown told Football Insider on 22 September that Guessand must work hard to get back into Sage's plans, or he could end up being sent back to his parent club Aston Villa.

The forward was left out of the Eagles' Europa League squad for this season, and after Sage's public criticism, it may be difficult for him to regain his place in the squad.

Having joined on loan from Villa during the summer, there are already concerns about Guessand's long-term future, and he must prove Sage wrong if he wants to return to the side.

"I've had my doubts about Guessand from his time at Aston Villa where he really struggled," Brown told Football Insider.

"Now he's not even getting into the squad at Crystal Palace becaues he's not good enough, his performances haven't been good enough and the manager has other options.

"It seems he has had this disgareement with the manager after being dropped from the squad, but that can go one of two ways.

"Either he gets his head down and works hard to improve and show the manager that he deserves to be there, like his teammates have, or he sulks and stays on the sidelines.

"It seems like Sage is already fed up with him, because it's got to a point where he's saying publicly, Guessand is not doing enough to prove he deserves to be in the team.

"There are probably four players in that Crystal Palace squad who are ahead of him now, and they might not be better players, but they're doing more for the manager.

"Then you've got Sarr and Mateta to come back, that pushes him even further out, so it's difficult to see how he's going to get back in unless he shows the manager he deserves it."

How do Crystal Palace feel about Sage's actions?

While Guessand is facing concerns about the way he has responded to Sage's criticisms, the boss is also coming under fire for the treatment of his players this season.

Brown warned Football Insider on 16 September that Sage was risking alienating some of his players with his harsh criticisms, and the club are believed to share those concerns.

As previously mentioned, both Canvot and McNeill were also dropped from Crystal Palace squads this season, but both players impressed enough in training to return.

Despite that, the manager's public criticisms of his players have raised red flags among the Selhurst Park hierarchy, who are believed to be frustrated with his decisions.

After an upturn in results, Sage has eased the pressure on his position, but should they take a turn from the worse alongside the existing concerns, he could find himself in trouble.