Cheick Doucoure makes first appearance after 14-month knee layoff | OneFootball

Cheick Doucoure made his first appearance in more than a year on Friday, turning out for Crystal Palace’s under-21s after a knee injury.

He started against Blackburn Rovers, played the opening half and was withdrawn at the interval as planned, appearing to come through without issue.

The 26-year-old tore his meniscus in January 2025. That followed just 13 appearances after recovering from a ruptured Achilles sustained in a 2-1 defeat by Luton Town in November 2023.

He was Palace’s player of the year in 2022-23, his debut season after joining from Lens for up to £26 million including add-ons. The meniscus problem arrived after two successive starts following a long spell out.

Before the 2-0 loss to Newcastle in January, Oliver Glasner said they had hoped to have him back before Christmas but the plan slipped, and he could not give a timeline, adding that he thought Doucoure would not play in 2025. He had spoken warmly about the Mali international before the 3-1 Carabao Cup win over Liverpool in October.

Doucoure is not registered for Palace’s Conference League squad, though he could feature in the Premier League run-in this season. A three-week gap at the end of March, with no FA Cup involvement and an international break, means he might be in contention for Newcastle’s visit on 11 April.

He signed a new contract in February last year, extending his Palace deal until 2029.

Source: NY Times