The chief of Crystal Palace, Oliver Glasner, expects Jean-Philippe Mateta to have to play with the protection of the ear for the rest of the season.
Mateta has been playing with her mask from 25 points of suture to a severe laceration to her ear after a collision out of the box with Millwall goalkeeper, Liam Roberts, in the fifth round of the FA Cup.
The French scored his first goal since the Tackle in the 2-1 victory over Brighton last Saturday.
When asked if the former Mainz striker will wear a mask against Manchester City on Saturday, Glasner said: “I was asking the doctor.
“It seems that he has to use it until the end of the season. He is close to getting used to it.
“The positive thing was that it was only the ear, nothing is broken. With protection, nothing can happen.
“It is sewn and the wound is closed. But we have to vary, because they hit the ball at more than 100 km per hour, it could open again and we would have to start the process again.
“It is more a precapity than 100 percent of the need to protect it.”
Image: Keith Gillard
