Crystal Palace can begin looking towards next season having sealed another respectable midtable finish to secure a 11th consecutive year in the Premier League.

Some Eagles fans are perhaps approaching the summer with a hint of anxiety as their star man Wilfried Zaha is set to leave the club upon the expiration of his contract in June.

Nevertheless, there remains a strong cohort of gifted young players at Selhurst Park which is predominantly centred around Eberechi Eze, Michael Olise, and Marc Guehi.

However, one player that slips under the radar is Tyrick Mitchell, who is a pivotal figure in the future of the South London club and who must be kept at all costs.

Why is Tyrick Mitchell important to Crystal Palace?

The 23-year-old made his first team debut in July 2020 and has gone on to make 102 appearances for the club he has been at since 2016.

This season, the Englishman has started 33 Premier League games and has emerged as one of the club’s most trusted options, who has been equally appreciated by Roy Hodgson and Patrick Vieira.

His impressive string of performances has meant that he received his first senior England call-up in March 2022 and made his debut for his country in a 2-1 over Switzerland in that same month.

Jon de Souza, his former U18 coach at Brentford, summarised the two-cap international’s play style as someone who is “aggressive, wants to defend, and wants to tackle.”

This is showcased by the fact that the "technically super-gifted" left-back - in the words of his ex-youth coach Gabriel Flores - ranks in the top 17% in Europe’s top five leagues among his positional peers for blocks per 90, and has recorded 69 tackles this season, which is the 19th-highest of any player in the whole division.

The defender has forged a formidable reputation for his tough tackling and last term he averaged 2.9 tackles per game, which was the most in the Palace squad.

A reliable and consistent asset, the £40k-per-week gem has been described as an “outstanding talent from day one," whilst also being hailed as a "silent assassin" by former U16 coach Anthony Hayes.

Due to his solidity, Mitchell has been likened to former Eagles star Aaron Wan-Bissaka, as they both excel at one-vs-one defending and possess rapid ball recovery.

This has been recognised by retired striker Mark Bright, who said:

“Tyrick is very similar to Aaron. He’s got the baton and is running with it. I’m really pleased for him. He doesn’t get carried away, he’s quiet but he has a lot of self-belief.”

The London-born machine is contracted until 2025, but Roy Hodgson and the hierarchy must maximise their efforts to keep Mitchell for as long as possible.