Out-of-favour Crystal Palace attacker Romain Esse produced a reminder of his talents as he scored for their Under-21s in a 3-2 win over Leeds on Monday.
Esse, who has come in for criticism from manager Oliver Glasner, was not included in Palace’s matchday squad for their 2-1 win over West Ham on Saturday.
The 20-year-old has struggled for minutes this season but delivered a positive response to his exclusion from the first team as he started and played 45 minutes for Palace U21s.
His goal was a drilled an effort into the bottom corner and he was also heavily involved in Palace’s first goal, playing a chipped cross that eventually led to Kayden Rodney scoring.
It was a morale-boosting display from Esse, who Glasner critcised last week for failing to get the basics right after being hooked at half-time during Palace’s penalty shootout victory over Millwall in the Carabao Cup.
Esse, who signed from Millwall for £14.5million in January, was guilty of being wasteful in possession against his former club, with Glasner at one point throwing his jacket towards the dugout after the midfielder squandered an opening before half-time.
Glasner said after the game that Esse would not play while his performances remained below standard, and he backed up his point by excluding the youngster against West Ham.
Esse, who scored on his Palace debut against Brentford in January, has played just 69 minutes for Palace this season and it is clear he does not yet have the trust of his manager.
Glasner’s refusal to play Esse is made more striking by the fact the Austrian has routinely complained about the lack of options he has at his disposal following a difficult summer transfer window.
Palace’s squad is stretched, with winger Yeremy Pino the latest injury worry after coming off at half-time against West Ham, and Esse has still continued to struggle for minutes.
Glasner has been ruthless with the England U21 international, but on Monday he showed glimpses of what he can offer and will be hoping to take small strides towards working his way back into the first-team picture at Palace.
