Patrick Vieira confirms key Crystal Palace midfielder is in the squad for Brighton clash

Patrick Vieira has confirmed that James McArthur will be in the Crystal Palace squad for tomorrow’s clash against rivals Brighton & Hove Albion.

The Scottish midfielder, who has recorded 19 goals and 23 assists in all competitions during his time at Selhurst Park, has not featured this season due to a long-term hip injury.

McArthur featured in the 3-0 win over QPR and the 3-2 win against Gillingham during pre-season. 

The 34-year-old travelled with the team to Turkey for the World Cup break and continued with his rehab as Vieira’s side took on Trabzonspor and Napoli in friendlies.

McArthur has played 249 times for the Eagles since joining from Wigan Athletic in 2014.

“Macca is in a really good place,” confirmed the Palace boss.

“He will be a part of the squad for tomorrow.

“He has been working hard. In every single training session with the team, he was feeling better.

“Physically, he is in a really good place.”

French World Cup winner Vieira also confirmed that Nathan Ferguson – who has only played eight minutes of football for the club since joining from West Brom in July 2020 – has been training with the first team with no stepbacks.

On the 22-year-old defender, Vieira added: “The good news is that we have had Nathan training with the team for the past couple of weeks with no stepbacks.”