Crystal Palace boss Patrick Vieira does not want to be drawn into the reasons why he chose Jordan Ayew ahead of in-form Michael Olise in his side’s 0-0 draw at Brentford.
The Palace boss opted to start Ayew – who was making his first start since returning from the Africa Cup of Nations with Ghana where his country got eliminated in the group stage.
The decision to start Jordan has raised eyebrows as Olise has impressed in his last four starts for the side where he has scored four goals and assisted six since joining from Reading.
Ayew had Palace’s best chance in the match when he was put through but he placed the effort wide after he was left with one-on-one with David Raya.
Olise replaced Ayew in the 78th minute.
When asked about his selection choices, Vieira said: “Do I really have to go into this decision as to why I chose this player over another one?
“I don’t really want to go into details. I make decisions.
“It has nothing to do with Michael’s performances in the games that he has played – he did quite really well.
“On the other hand, he started two games, and I just wanted to bring some fresh legs in because I knew how hard and difficult it would be and how hard the front players needed to work.
“With Jordan’s experience, it’s one of the reasons why I made that decision.”
