Crystal Palace have received a potentially significant injury boost ahead of their Premier League encounter with Aston Villa at Selhurst Park this afternoon.

What’s the word?

In Friday’s press conference, Patrick Vieira revealed that midfielder Eberechi Eze has had a good week after returning to full training with the first-team squad, while Nathan Ferguson is also making good progress.

“Everybody trained this morning,” said the Frenchman. “Eze had a really good week, full session with the team. Nathan took part in some training this week, so everybody outside of Macca (James McArthur) are fit for the game.”

Vieira then went into more detail on McArthur, who picked up a hamstring tear a couple of weeks ago, providing another positive update.

“We don't have a timeframe on the injury,” he revealed. “What we decided to do with the doctor is evaluate every week the progress he is making, and things are moving well. Obviously, it is still too early to start training with the first team.”

Patrick Vieira will be buzzing

The news that Eze has had another full week of training under his belt will leave Vieira buzzing with excitement, given the player's importance to the team.

The highly-rated 23-year-old returned to the bench against Burnley last time out after being sidelined with an Achilles injury since May.

Last season, Eze established himself as a key player for the Eagles, scoring four goals and providing a further six assists in 34 top-flight fixtures and achieving the squad's fifth-highest performance rating from WhoScored.

Since then, Palace have transformed their setup, replacing former manager Roy Hodgson with Vieira, who has overseen several exciting acquisitions.

The prospect of Eze lining up alongside the likes of summer signings Odsonne Edouard, Conor Gallagher and Michael Olise is a mouth-watering one, and it could occur for the first time against Villa today.

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