After Nearly 20 Months Out Injured, He Smiled Like He Had Won $1 Million Upon Hearing the Comeback News

Crystal Palace midfielder Cheick Doucouré is set to make his first-team appearance for the first time in nearly 20 months. Manager Pierre Sage confirmed that the Mali international will be included in the squad for Tuesday's Carabao Cup match against Middlesbrough.

From Achilles tendon rupture to meniscus tear

Over the past three years, Doucouré has been troubled by various injuries. In November 2023, his Achilles tendon ruptured during Crystal Palace's 2-1 defeat to Luton. After recovering, he played 13 matches before tearing his meniscus in January last year. His last first-team appearance came on January 15, 2025, when Crystal Palace defeated Leicester City 2-0.

Toward the end of last season, the 26-year-old midfielder made several appearances for Crystal Palace's U21 side and took part fully in pre-season without any further injury setbacks. In the 2022-23 season, his first campaign after joining the club, Doucouré was named the club's Player of the Year and attracted interest from Liverpool that summer, but injuries halted his progress.

“His smile was incredible”

Sage recalled the moment he informed Doucouré that he had been selected in the squad at his pre-match press conference: “When I told him today (Saturday) that he would be with us, his smile was incredible.” Sage described Doucouré's reaction as being like receiving $1 million: “I love this reaction because for me, this is where we start playing football and loving the sport. The only thing he wanted was to come back with the team. This is the first step, and on Tuesday he will definitely play for a while.”

Despite Doucouré's return, Sage does not plan to make a large-scale rotation. He said he does not like making major changes to the lineup because whenever he does so, he is unhappy at the end of the match, not necessarily because of the result, but because of a lack of coordination between players. However, at the start of the season, the efforts of all players in training must be respected, and this could be an opportunity for them to show themselves.

Two new signings left out of the squad

Meanwhile, summer signings Evan Guessand and Dwight McNeil were not included in the match squad, with Sage saying this was a “sporting decision.”

For Crystal Palace, the Carabao Cup is not just an occasion for rotation. Sage said directly: “We must win this match because we also have ambitions in this competition. This is not just about rotation.”