Patrick Vieira continues to be working to fill the Gallagher gaping void at Crystal Palace | Sports activities

Patrick Vieira couldn’t hide his frustration. How Crystal Palace and their manager will reflect on the decision to embark on a pre-season tour to Australia and Singapore with just eight veteran players and a number of youngsters will perhaps emerge when Arsenal visit Selhurst Park on Friday night.

This lucrative tour – a deal originally struck in preparation for the 2020/21 season and planned before Covid-19 intervened – split Palace’s squad for much of the pre-season and meant nine first-team players including Wilfried Zaha, Eberechi Eze, Christian Benteke, Marc Guéhi and Michael Olise stayed at home. The reason given was suitability or non-compliance with the “entry requirements” for these countries.

At the same time have expectations of Selhurst Park