Oliver Glasner has said he chose not to involve Romain Esse in his matchday squad against West Ham because there are players in better shape.
Esse was not named in Crystal Palace’s squad for their 2-1 win against West Ham at the London Stadium.
The 20-year-old’s exclusion comes after he was criticised by Glasner for not getting the basics right following Palace’s penalty shootout victory over Millwall in the Carabao Cup on Tuesday.
Esse was taken off at half-time against his former club, with Glasner saying the winger would have to work his way back into his plans, and his future at the club has been cast into further doubt, having not been included in Palace’s matchday squad against West Ham.
“It's easy to answer, because I think the other players are in better shape,” Glasner quickly retorted when asked why Esse was not involved.
Esse scored on his Palace debut against Brentford but has played just 258 minutes since his January move to Selhurst Park.
Palace are short of options in attack, so Glasner’s decision not to include Esse sends a strong message about his place in the side, and it’s clear he has fallen out of favour under the Austrian.
It’s now 17 games unbeaten for Palace after Tyrick Mitchell’s superb volley handed the Eagles a 2-1 victory over the Hammers, and Glasner admitted it was a deserved win, with Palace controlling the game for large periods at the London Stadium.
“I think we played a very good first half, controlling the game, had a big chance straight after half-time, and then all of a sudden, it's 1-1, and then the momentum changed.
“West Ham was better in the 15 minutes after the equaliser, and I think then, and credit to the players, we could turn the momentum again.
“At the end, it was a deserved win.”
