Bakary Sako to miss rest of season for Crystal Palace with fractured ankle
Friday 2 February 2018 14:52, UK
Crystal Palace winger Bakary Sako will miss the rest of the season after fracturing his ankle.
Sako limped off in the first half of Crystal Palace's 1-1 draw against West Ham at London Stadium on Tuesday night.
Ahead of Sunday's game against Newcastle, manager Roy Hodgson confirmed the 29-year-old fractured his ankle and damaged ligaments around it.
The Mali forward, who is Crystal Palace's top scorer in the Premier League with six goals, will not play again this season and remains a doubt to be fit for the start of the 2018/19 campaign.
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"Baky's injury is a very serious one. He's fractured his ankle and damaged ligaments around it," said Hodgson.
"He certainly won't play again this season and may be a doubt to be fit for the start of next."
Hodgson does not believe Crystal Palace's injury situation is a cause for major concern but admits the club have been unlucky to lose key players to muscle injuries over the course of the season
He said: "Our injury situation is unusual. A lot of clubs can get a number of muscle injuries, but we're in a situation where we've lost five for the season.
"Benteke, Zaha, and Sakho all spent at least six weeks out earlier in the season."
Palace's Deadline Day signing Alexander Sorloth will be in the squad for the game against Newcastle and could feature in Sako's absence.
