Jean-Philippe Mateta will decide next week whether to have surgery on an ongoing knee problem that ended his proposed move to AC Milan, Crystal Palace head coach Oliver Glasner has revealed.
The France forward has been playing this season with a swollen knee and failed a medical in Italy on Transfer Deadline Day, blocking a potential £26m move to the Serie A club.
Glasner said he was not surprised by the failed medical. A fourth consultant — a German doctor Mateta worked with at Mainz in 2022 — will now advise on the best course of action so the striker can aim to be fit for France’s World Cup campaign.
“The most important thing is the player’s welfare,” Glasner said. “We have to manage his knee. We have rested him in some games and training sessions. It was not a big surprise that he could fail. He knew it was possible. When you play for two-and-a-half months with a swollen knee, it has to be managed and we all know there is an issue with his knee.
“He was not pleased but when you visit three doctors, you get three opinions. This is what we have right now. We have an opinion from an English doctor, one from an Italian, one from French and a German one is coming too who he trusts from when he was a Mainz player.
“We will see another doctor on Monday and then we will sit together and make a final decision. There are two ways to deal with this one — one is to manage it until after the World Cup, he has a dream of playing for France at the World Cup. The other option is that he gets surgery. We don’t know [which works better for the World Cup]. Surgery could keep him out for two months, it could be three months, or it could be six to nine months.”
Mateta’s failed transfer was not the only deal to collapse on Deadline Day; Dwight McNeil’s proposed move to Palace also fell through despite the player passing a medical, leaving his family distraught.
Asked whether Mateta might be disciplined or treated differently after the failed transfer, Glasner was clear about his obligations as manager. “He’s under contract here, you have rights and duties. I have duties as well,” he said. “If he doesn’t undergo surgery and the knee is okay, he will start training with us and be integrated and have to fight with his position in the club like everybody else.
“He knows that but he is fine with it because JP is a great guy. Dealing with disappointment takes a few days, it’s sometimes best not to speak with someone the next day and leaving it a few days, but I’ve had a good talk with him and I’m pretty sure everything will be fine.”