Crystal Palace manager Patrick Vieira must unleash Eberechi Eze against Arsenal with star man Wilfried Zaha at risk of missing out due to injury.

The English attacking midfielder moved to Selhurst Park for £16m in 2020 from fellow London club Queens Park Rangers.

His form in the Championship got him the move as he tallied 22 goal contributions in his final season at Loftus Road, this was more than Palace's Zaha, Christian Benteke and Jordan Ayew at the time.

Sky Sports commentator Daniel Mann has described him as a "showman" since his move to the Eagles and it's evident to see why.

It could've been a risk spending that amount of money on a player from the second tier, with no guarantee that he will replicate his numbers in the Premier League.

However, history goes to show that players who have performed to that level in the EFL are worth taking a gamble on.

Both Mason Mount and Dele Ali replicated their form at Chelsea and Spurs after having stand out seasons in the Football League for both Derby and MK Dons respectively.

And in his first season in the top-flight Eze hit the ground running gaining ten goal contributions.

Despite having not played much this season, his stats over the past year continue to be impressive. He ranks in the top 1% for assists per 90 minutes in Europe's top five leagues for instance.

Part of the reason he's not been featured is due to missing the start of the season through injury, and because of this you could understand why Vieira perhaps doesn't know yet just how good a talent he has on his hands.

But with top scorer Zaha in doubt for tonight's game against Arsenal, will the French manager give Eze the opportunity he deserves?

His main competitor for a place in the team is likely to be Odsonne Edouard, the forward arrived from Celtic in the summer for £14.6m but he hasn't yet hit the heights expected of him. He's been averaging just 2.4 shots per 90 minutes which Vieira hasn't been too impressed with.

Ultimately the £18m-rated Eze has a really bright future ahead of him, and starting him against Arsenal will surely give the Eagles the best chance at securing victory.

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