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USA star Chris Richards receives his first Premier League start for Crystal Palace against Manchester United as the defender aims to keep out Red Devils debutant Wout Weghorst at Selhurst Park.
- Chris Richards is set to make his first Premier League start for Crystal Palace
- The US international has been included in his XI to face Manchester United
- Richards will be tasked with keeping out new United striker Wout Weghorst
- Previously, he had only started for Palace in a League Cup win over Oxford United.
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American defender Chris Richards is set to make his first Premier League start for Crystal Palace after being named in their squad to face Manchester United.
Richards, 22, completed a $13 million transfer to Palace from Bayern Munich in the summer and has made five appearances for the English club so far.
His only previous start came in the Eagles’ League Cup win over Oxford United, and his three Premier League starts were all as a substitute.
But that should change on Wednesday, as the US center back is in line for his first start against none other than United, England’s most successful club.
USA defender Chris Richards set to make his first start for Crystal Palace against Man United
Palace will face the in-form team of Erik ten Hag at Selhurst Park, where they will try to record their first Premier League defeat since 6 November.
And Richards, who has won eight caps for the US, will be tasked with keeping new United striker Wout Weghorst at bay in south-east London.
Weghorst only completed a loan move to Old Trafford from Burnley five days ago and now Ten Hag is throwing him straight into action.
The Dutchman is flanked by Marcus Rashford and Antony in attack, while Bruno Fernandes sits just behind in the number 10 role.
Richards will have a lot to do in his full Premier League debut, which comes after an injury to starting defender Joachim Andersen.
Andersen, who has played in 17 of Palace’s 18 league games this season, is expected to spend three weeks on the sideline after picking up a calf injury in a 1-0 loss to Chelsea on Sunday.
In his absence, Richards slots alongside Guehi in the center of defense and the former FC Dallas star now has a chance to make the spot his own.
Wednesday’s game against United will only represent his 40th appearance in Europe’s top division, 30 of which came on loan at German club Hoffenheim.
Richards spent two seasons on loan at Hoffenheim before completing his move to Palace, having featured just 10 times over three years at Bayern.