Premier League players seem to be dropping like flies with injury problems heading into the international break. Crystal Palace are no exception, with an injury present during the Leeds United match.
Jefferson Lerma is the latest concern for the Eagles. The midfielder has asked not to be called up by Colombia as he tries to fully recover from a foot problem.
The 31-year-old is dealing with inflammation after being stepped on, but that didn’t stop him helping Crystal Palace against Leeds United at the weekend.
Lerma played 45 minutes of the 0-0 draw with Leeds United despite not being 100% fit. Palace have been dealing with several absences. As a result, the Colombian made himself available to help cover those problems.
Now he appears to have decided that enough is enough and wants to use the international break to recover properly.
Lerma makes Colombia request
Colombian journalist Mariano Olsen reports Lerma personally asked manager Néstor Lorenzo not to include him in the squad for the upcoming international fixtures.
Olsen explains the midfielder is still suffering from inflammation in his foot following the knock. Despite that, he managed a full half against Leeds because Crystal Palace needed him.
Lerma then contacted Lorenzo to explain the situation and his preference to sit out the international break.
It’s an interesting decision given how important Colombia have been to Lerma throughout his career. He’s been a regular for the national team for years and was a starter at this summer’s World Cup.
For Crystal Palace, though, it should be welcome news. They now have a chance to get him back to 100% without another couple of international matches adding to his workload.
| Every Crystal Palace signing 26/27 | Previous Club | Fee |
|---|---|---|
| Dwight McNeil | Everton | Swap Deal |
| Anan Khalaili | Union Saint-Gilloise | £21m |
| Quinten Timber | Marseille | £17m |
| Zavier Gozo | Real Salt Lake | £11m |
| Darío Osorio | FC Midtjylland | Loan |
| Óscar Mingueza | Celta de Vigo | Free |
| Takehiro Tomiyasu | Ajax | Free |
| Ben Chilwell | Chelsea | Loan |
| Axel Disasi | Chelsea | Loan |
| Honest Ahanor | Atalanta | Loan |
| Walter Benítez | PSV Eindhoven | Free |
Injuries haven’t been a big problem at Palace
Lerma’s injury record since arriving at Selhurst Park has generally been good. He had two spells on the sidelines during his first season at the club, missing 12 matches in total.
Since then, his only recorded absence through injury came last season. At that time, a head injury kept him out for seven days and two games.
This campaign has already been a little more disrupted. Lerma played 17 minutes against Middlesbrough and 12 against Ipswich before managing 45 minutes against Leeds. That’s only 74 minutes across Palace’s last three matches.
Given he wasn’t fully fit for the latest of those, sitting out Colombia duty looks like a chance to finally get the foot problem sorted before Palace return to action.
‼️🇩🇰 Exclusive: Dario Osorio | FC Midtjylland director on why Crystal Palace signing is special
💬 “From a character point of view, he puts the team first. That’s also demonstrated by his defensive work rate. He works very hard.”
➕ Much more 👇https://t.co/bD1bYFEIe2 #cpfc— Sport Witness (@Sport_Witness) September 20, 2026
