Christantus Uche: Glasner defends decision to drop midfielder from Europa squad

Crystal Palace head coach Oliver Glasner has defended his controversial decision to omit midfielder Christantus Uche from the club’s updated UEFA Europa Conference League squad.

Uche, who is currently on loan at Selhurst Park from Spanish outfit Getafe, has found life difficult in South London, struggling to secure a consistent role under the Austrian manager. Despite the Nigerian international’s respectable return of two goals in four appearances earlier in the competition, he was axed from the roster at the start of the year. The 22-year-old subsequently voiced his frustration, suggesting he no longer feels he has the backing of his manager.

Glasner explains squad selection after Christantus Uche omission

Speaking ahead of the Eagles’ crucial Conference League semi-final second-leg clash against Shakhtar Donetsk, Glasner addressed the fallout, citing the player’s limited minutes and squad registration constraints as the primary factors.

“For me, I never blame the player for certain things; this stays internal. Uche wasn’t registered for the second phase of the Conference League. I had a private conversation with him, and naturally, he wasn’t pleased with the outcome,” Glasner explained.

“I had to make a difficult decision due to the competition rules. We had several new signings arriving in January. Honestly, had I known that Eddie Nketiah would fail to regain fitness, Uche would have remained in the squad.”

The Palace boss further elaborated that the decision was a matter of tactical availability rather than a reflection of the player’s quality, though he acknowledged it has damaged their relationship.

“At that specific moment, we were under the impression that Eddie was very close to a return. We already had Strand Larsen, Brennan Johnson, and Jean-Philippe Mateta. This was the sole reason for the change, but from that day, he has felt that I don’t particularly like him.

“There was absolutely nothing personal involved. I like him as a person, but I had to make a professional choice. Every player here receives the best possible support we can offer. However, you also have to be open to receiving that help. Support is not a one-way street; it must be reciprocal. He remains our player, and he will continue to get our full backing.”

Despite Glasner’s diplomatic stance, Uche’s time on the pitch at Selhurst Park appears to be effectively over for the remainder of the season, following undisclosed internal factors that the manager refused to reveal to the media.