USMNT goalkeeper Matt Turner will not start for Crystal Palace in their FA Cup quarter-final against Fulham on Saturday.
Turner has been Palace’s first-choice goalkeeper in cup matches this season but regular league No 1 Dean Henderson will start this weekend, Palace head coach Oliver Glasner has said.
“I talked to both goalkeepers today and I took a decision that Dean will start tomorrow,” Glasner said in his pre-match press conference on Friday.
“On one side it was a tough decision, on the other side it was a very good decision for me to take because I had to choose between two great goalkeepers with everybody having 100 per cent confidence and trust in us.”
Turner, who is on a season-long loan from Nottingham Forest, started for the USMNT in their 1-0 Concacaf Nations League semi-final defeat by Panama last week but was criticised for failing to prevent the stoppage time winner.
He has been inconsistent for Palace in his four appearances this season, including his part in Villa’s goal on debut during that October victory, but before the USMNT’s defeat acknowledged his lack of domestic game time was far from ideal.
“But I’m giving every opportunity that I have to play the utmost importance and trying to put good performances together, just control what I can right now and then let the chips fall where they may,” Turner told reporters in the build up to the game.
In contrast, Henderson’s excellent form at domestic level has earned him significant plaudits. He retained his place in the England set-up, with new head coach Thomas Tuchel selecting the 28-year-old over the recent international break.
“I decided Dean is our number one,” Glasner said. “He has played most of the games and that’s why, especially when we haven’t had a game for three weeks, I don’t want to change it. That is why he will start tomorrow.”
Turner, while disappointed, took the news well, the Palace manager said.
“He is very professional and we talked two or three times this week because I was undecided for a long time. The best situation you can have is to choose between two players who are in form and on a very top level.
“He accepted it and I know We can rely on him whenever we need him. When we need him tomorrow we can rely on him, when we need support from the bench we can rely on him. If we need him in the game we can rely on him, so he’s a great guy.
“Of course he didn’t say thank you Gaffer but he took it very professionally and that’s what we expect.”
(Hector Vivas/Getty Images)