Crystal Palace manager Roy Hodgson believes Ghana international Jeffrey Schlupp is one of the underrated players in world football despite the club's decent start to the season.
Schlupp has made six appearances for the Eagles, starting five and assisting one goal in the on-going 2-19/20 season after missing the opening match of the campaign due to fitness concerns.
"He [Schlupp] is a very, very important player. I think he’s one of those underrated players because he’s not spectacular,” Hodgson said, as reported by his club's official website.
“He can be [spectacular] when he gets on a run with the ball. He’s very strong, he’s a very good runner with the ball, a good striker with the ball.
“But a lot of the work he does which is so valuable to the team will perhaps pass unnoticed, especially when you’ve got Wilf on the other side of the field who does so many things which are so easy to notice as being spectacular."
The 26-year-old has been key contributor for the London-based club and guided them to ninth on the league table after seven matches in the English Premier League.
“We’re very pleased with him [Schlupp]. He’s a very good professional; he works very hard. He recovers quickly from injury which is fortunate because he’s hasn’t been blessed with a lot of luck sometimes during my time here," Hodgson continued.
“He’s missed quite a lot of football through injury but he’s always come back quickly from it.
“And we’re very happy at the moment that he’s in a really good vein of form and we’re hoping he’s going to be able to keep that going and to remain free of injury during the rest of the season because I think the more games he plays and the longer the run of games he plays, the better he will become.”
The former Leicester City midfielder is expected to keep his starting spot when the Eagles travel to London to take on West Ham United in the Premier League on Saturday.