The next Wilfried Zaha? How Crystal Palace youngsters fared vs KuPS
Crystal Palace handed three young talents their senior debuts in the Conference League, sparking intrigue about their long-term futures at the club.
Oliver Glasner’s side drew 2-2 with KuPS at Selhurst Park, and failed to secure immediate qualification into the Conference League knockout rounds.
Christantus Uche gave Palace the lead after just five minutes, but a ten-minute lapse in concentration at the start of the second half saw the visitors go ahead, and Justin Devenny‘s late header was not enough to secure all three points.
Instead, they will face a two-legged playoff to decide their fate in the competition, but the result did not come as a major surprise to many in South London.
A heavily rotated side started the game in preparation for their clash against Leeds United at Elland Road just 48 hours later, including a number of academy products.
Those performances were the main talking point of the Selhurst Park faithful regardless of the result, and Football Insider has had a look at how they fared.
George King
George King, 18, has been a regular for Crystal Palace’s Under-21s side this season, and has played above his age group such is the talent as his disposal.
Thrown into a makeshift back three alongside Jaydee Canvot and the experienced Jefferson Lerma, he coped well and did not look out of place on the night, and was withdrawn in favour of Eddie Nketiah after 76 minutes with Palace chasing the game.
The stats do not necessarily do his performance justice, with a 78 per cent pass accuracy largely down to his attempts to fire balls into midfield or to the striker’s feet. [Sofascore]
Defensively, King impressed by winning 100 per cent of his aerial duels against his senior opponents, as well as four recoveries, while he also drew two fouls.
Dean Benamar
17-year-old Dean Benamar started at left-wing-back for the Eagles, having played that role as well as being a more traditional full-back for the Under-21s.
His performance was met with regular applause from Glasner on the sidelines, particularly in the first half as he covered the touchline next to the boss’ technical area.
Despite failing to find a man with either of his two crosses, they were put into dangerous areas, while his 90 per cent pass accuracy and four attempted dribbles saw him become an influence further up the pitch as well as defensively.
At the other end, he won 100 per cent of his tackles and made one interception.
Eventually, Benamar was replaced by Will Hughes, and while he was not the standout performer of the debutants, he gave a good showing in front of the Selhurst Park crowd.
Joel Drakes-Thomas
Joel Drakes-Thomas was the youngest of the debutants, becoming Palace’s fourth-youngest ever player at just 16 years old, and was also the only one to play the full match.
Featuring on the left-wing at Selhurst Park, he has often been used as a wing-back at academy level, where he has adapted to the role seamlessly.
Crystal Palace fans have been raving about Drakes-Thomas since his display yesterday, and it is easy to see why with the promise he showed on the night.
Despite a relatively slow start, he grew into the game, and with the Eagles were chasing a late goal he was seen demanding the ball be played into his feet rather than those of his senior colleagues as he took control of the game.
Drakes-Thomas completed 100 per cent of his dribbles, created two big chances (the most of any player on the pitch), fired seven crosses into the box, in a performance which reminded many at Selhurst Park of a young Wilfried Zaha.
On top of that, he won two tackles and made four recoveries in what was an incredible all-round display, with many tipping him as one for the future..
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