Roy Hodgson Reveals When Decision Will Be Made Over Wilfried Zaha's Availability for Everton Clash

Wilfried Zaha will be given until the last moment on Saturday to prove his fitness ahead of Crystal Palce's trip to face Everton, according to manager Roy Hodgson.

Zaha was forced to withdraw from international duty with the Ivory Coast earlier this week after picking up a suspected adductor injury, leaving the Eagles to sweat over the fitness of their star man ahead of an important run of fixtures. 

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Initial reports suggested the 25-year-old could be facing a number of months on the sidelines but Hodgson remains optimistic that Zaha will make a speedy recovery and he could even be in line for Palace's visit to Goodison Park. 

“I don’t know where information that this was a two-month injury came from, we’ve never been mindful it would take a long time," Hodgson told Sky Sports. 

"It's a strain that players get on a regular basis, some recover quicker than others and we're fortunate he is a quicker than normal 'recoverer' but it will depend on the extent on the injury whether one week is a possibility in terms of recovery.

"It's good news that he's close enough to be assessed, to see if he is fit enough to play.

"But you're taking me into areas of sport science I don't feel comfortable talking about. My information is he hasn't trained with us since the injury, but they're hoping he might be able to train tomorrow.

"If he is able to train tomorrow I guess he could be available to play," he added. 

Zaha's presence in the squad against Everton would come as a major boost for the Eagles as the club have not won a game without their talisman since September 2016.

Moreover, Christian Benteke's recovery from knee surgery is progressing quicker than anticipated and the striker could be fit by December.