Wilfried Zaha has leg brace taken off as he returns to training after knee injury with ‘altitude’ mask workout on exercise bike
WILFRIED ZAHA looks to be close to a comeback for Crystal Palace after he stepped up his injury rehab without his leg brace.
The winger, 24, had a knee brace on during his rehab from a knock sustained in the 3-0 home defeat to Huddersfield on the opening day of the season.
He shared a short video on with the caption: ";Putting the graft in"
Former Manchester United man Zaha has since been unable to feature in Palace's defeats to Liverpool, Swansea and Burnley, with the club yet to score a goal in the Premier League.
He also missed the Ivory Coast's win 3-0 win and then 2-1 defeat to Gabon in their World Cup qualifiers.
But Zaha has been getting his head down and getting on with rehab.
Arguably Palace's star player, Zaha has been grinding his legs on an exercise bike at the club's training ground in Beckenham, South London.
He has also been wearing an 'altitude' mask during his training sessions.
The mask, while it does not truly replicate the reduced oxygen of high altitude training, restricts the airflow into the lungs and can give the supporting muscles around the organ a more efficient workout.
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Zaha was one of the Eagles' key players last season as they finished 14th in the table on 41 points, seven above relegated Hull.
But after losing four on the bounce, Dutchman Frank de Boer lost his job earlier this week, being replaced by former England manager Roy Hodgson.
Hodgson, 70, has taken charge of his first training sessions at their training ground in South East London.
According to reports, Hodgson is due to get a £40million transfer kitty this January after De Boer failed to fully refresh the squad over the summer.
