Major blow for Roy Hodgson as Crystal Palace star attacker 'certainly' misses Leeds United clash

Wilfried Zaha picked up a hamstring injury in the Eagles' game against Newcastle United that will make him unavailable for the Elland Road clash.

“We don’t know how long it’s going to keep him out,” said Hodgson today.

“He certainly won’t be available for this game, and it could be much longer than that. At the moment of course it’s the early stage of the injury and he’s still being assessed. It’s totally unrealistic to suggest he’d be ready for this game.”

Zaha has nine goals in the Premier League this season for Palace and Hodgson says the club's medical staff are doing the utmost to ensure his recovery is as swift as possible.

“You never know with these hamstring injuries, but Wilf is incredible in terms of recovery so I wouldn’t want to put a definite timeline on it," he said.

"But it’s a muscle strain and all muscle strains take time to heal. Our people are doing their level best to get him back on the field.”

Marcelo Bielsa is also without a key attacker in Spanish international forward Rodrigo [groin] while Ian Poveda [ankle] is also expected to miss out on Monday.