30th Mar 2024 • Written by Bruno Collingridge

Who is Crystal Palace talent Roshaun Mathurin?

Roshaun Mathurin has been the gem of Crystal Palace's U21s this season, receiving praise from academy fans due to his excellent performances, and has now impressed man of the hour Oliver Glasner. During the extended international break, Crystal Palace played a behind closed doors friendly against South London rivals Millwall, winning 2-0, and one of the goals was scored by none other than Mathurin himself. Glasner stated in his pre-match press conference that Mathurin would be rewarded for his efforts with his first inclusion in a Palace matchday squad, potentially setting him up for his senior debut in English football.

Who is Roshaun Mathurin?

Mathurin joined Palace on a free at the start of the season, having been released from Tottenham Hotspur after a lengthy ACL injury. However, since his arrival in South London, the winger has been in excellent form, landing seven goal contributions in the U21 PL in just ten starts. At 20 years of age, Mathurin has already proven he's good enough to step up from academy football, and is a likely loan candidate for next season - but he could see his first taste of professional football in today's fixture against Nottingham Forest.

What does he bring to the team?

Mathurin is the complete package for a winger - he's capable of playing on either flank, and is relatively two-footed. His preferred position would appear to be on the left wing, where he functions as an inverted winger, often cutting inside onto his deadly right foot. He has scored many goals from inside the box, yet has shown he possesses an excellent longe-range strike on many occasions. However, it isn't just Mathurin's finishing that is top-class: his dangerous crosses are perhaps his best asset, which tend to curl and loop towards the far post with consistent precision.

Beyond his end-product, Mathurin has been described as "one of the best 1v1 academy players in Europe" by a former coach, and can embarass an opposition fullback in a heartbeat. A trademark of his game is his desire to play a give-and-go with his teammates, ending up in space with the ball out wide.

Is he likely to play?

Since the departure of Wilfried Zaha, Palace have lacked a natural left-winger in the side, with Jeffrey Schlupp, Jordan Ayew, Odsonne Edouard, and Eberechi Eze all asked to play out of position. Edouard has been ruled out of today's clash, whilst Schlupp returns from injury, however, the latter is seen more as a midfielder or wing-back than a forward. Therefore, it is possible that Mathurin could feature off the bench, especially if Palace are in a comfortable winning position.

Regardless of if Mathurin plays, it will be music to the ears of Palace fans to see Oliver Glasner trusting and rewarding young players with first-team experience, and they can expect to see him feature a lot more in the near future.

Bruno Collingridge

Despite having only watched football regularly since 2016, you won't find someone more passionate about the beautiful game (or Marc Guéhi) than Bruno. He founded The Palace Way to put the skills he learned in the Game Development and Design industries towards something that means the world to him - Crystal Palace Football Club. Outside of football, Bruno is a keen programmer, musician and student.

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