Jean-Philippe Matate exclusive interview: Crystal Palace striker talks summer of speculation and working with Odsonne Edouard

Jean-Philippe Mateta watch Crystal Palace vs Nottingham Forest live on Sky Sports on Saturday Night Football, kick-off 5.30pm

@SamBIitz

Friday 6 October 2023 15:09, UK

If there is any Premier League player who knows about waiting and biding his time, it's Crystal Palace's Jean-Philippe Mateta.

The Eagles striker started his first match in eight months in last weekend's 1-0 win at Manchester United. Since the start of last season, he has started just seven times in the Premier League.

Such a lack of playing time could have resulted in him finding pastures new. But Mateta tells Sky Sports: «I'm a competitor. There were clubs who asked after me in the summer but I stayed. I'm here for a reason.

»I've had to be patient. It's always frustrating not playing and being on the bench, but I'm someone who works hard and it pays off when I get my chance.

«I have always been like that, I've always had a good mental side to my game, right up until today.»

The week the transfer window closed showed why Mateta is valued at Selhurst Park, with a hat-trick against Plymouth in the Carabao Cup third round, then two assists off the bench to earn Palace a 3-2 win over Wolves on Super Sunday.

«That's why we kept him,» manager Roy Hodgson said after the win over Wolves «He, because he's not been getting as regular a game as he'd have liked, would have been very keen to go and try his luck elsewhere, but I and the club wanted to keep him.»

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A closer look at Mateta's game shows he is right in line with the Palace way, especially as a forward player.

His selfless display against Manchester United saw him create two key chances on goal —