Signing for Crystal Palace back in 2015, Jason Lokilo has only ever made one appearance for the Premier League club, back in 2017 in a 2-1 EFL Cup win over Ipswich.
The rest of his time has either been spent with the Eagles’ youth teams or, more recently, out on loan at either FC Lorient (where he only ever made five appearances) and now Doncaster Rovers, where he has, so far, played just 17 minutes of football.
It hasn’t been the most exciting career for the 21-year-old so far, but there is still plenty of time for things to change, which is exactly what his older brother, Harisson Lokilo, thinks.
Speaking to DH in Belgium, the Royal Léopold defender said: “Many things were said or invented to hurt my family. Thankfully, we didn’t listen to those rumours. Jason is learning a lot in England. He’s often advised by Christian Benteke, Mamadou Sakho, etc…”
Despite his struggles with Doncaster so far, the older Lokilo brother feels the Crystal Palace youngster will come out stronger on the other side from his time with the League One club.
He continued: “It’s a good experience. League One is better than the second division in Belgium, for example. He’s taking it on the chin even if he would like to prove himself at Palace. Work always pays off and we believe in him a lot.
“The British media still think of him as a gem. One day, he’ll be in the first-team for good. I often tell him: ‘Fight for what you want and you’ll get it’.”
It will have helped the Crystal Palace loanee that on his first outing for Doncaster Rovers, he managed to pick up an assist via a dangerous cross from the right, which forced Jason McCarthy to panic and put the ball into the back of his own net, securing the 3-1 win for Lokilo’s side.
Maybe this is the start of a good run for the 21-year-old, and it will catch the eye of those in charge at Selhurst Park.
