Crystal Palace and England dealt HUGE blow as Marc Guehi undergoes surgery for knee injury sustained in defeat against Brighton… with Eagles defender set to miss six to eight weeks of action

Crystal Palace and England have been dealt a major blow after centre-back Marc Guehi underwent surgery following a setback in his return from a knee injury.

Mail Sport can reveal that the defender has suffered complications from a knee injury suffered during the defeat to Brighton on February 3.

Guehi has been to a knee specialist in London over the past 24 hours to determine the full extent of the problem and has now undergone the procedure.

If his recovery goes as planned, Guehi will miss six to eight weeks.

Guehi suffered a knee hyperextension at the Amex earlier this month and it was hoped the defender would be fit to return within three weeks.

Guehi suffered a knee injury during Crystal Palace’s derby defeat to Brighton earlier this month

The injury setback comes as another blow to new Crystal Palace head coach Oliver Glasner (left) and England boss Gareth Southgate (right) ahead of the European Championship

But the 23-year-old now faces a prolonged spell out of action, with news coming as a huge disappointment for club and country.

After winning his first game in charge of Crystal Palace against Burnley on Saturday, new head coach Oliver Glasner was looking forward to welcoming Guehi in time for this weekend’s visit to Tottenham.

But the Austrian coach must now wait before he gets his first chance to select his side’s most important defender.

Similarly, it now seems likely that Guehi will miss the international friendlies against Brazil and Belgium next month, in a blow to his chances of starting in the 2024 Euros.

Fitness permitting, Guehi is assured of a place in Gareth Southgate’s squad, who travels to Germany this summer and Harry Maguire is pushing for a regular starting place at the heart of England’s defense alongside John Stones.

And while there is no indication that the setback Guehi has suffered could result in him missing the rest of the season, his unavailability to the squad for next month’s matches – named on March 14 – comes at the worst possible time, because he’s trying to force his way out. in the starting XI for the Euro 2024 opener against Serbia on June 16.

The 23-year-old defender now faces a prolonged period of layoff in news that arrives as a huge disappointment for club and country, with Palace currently 13th in the Premier League

Guehi’s lengthy absence is the latest blow to Southgate’s Three Lions ahead of the 2024 Euros

Guehi’s lengthy absence is the latest defensive blow for Southgate ahead of the 2024 Euros, after it emerged last week that first-choice left-back Luke Shaw is in a race against time to play again this season due to a serious hamstring injury.

Aston Villa centre-back Ezri Konsa, who was part of the previous England squad, is currently struggling with a knee injury.

Guehi’s long-term future at Selhurst Park is likely to be an issue for the Eagles heading into the summer, with the defender entering the final two years of his contract.

A number of Premier League sides are showing interest in Guehi, including Liverpool and Manchester United, and Palace may have to listen to offers for one of their prized assets if they fail to tie him down to an extension for next season.