Day 18 of your Crystal Palace Calendar sees us looking at James McArthur.
A central midfielder by trade the Scotsman has found himself occupying the right flank this season.
Despite lacking the pace you’d expect from a modern winger, the delivery required, or the flashy boots you need to wear to be seen as a top wide-man, McArthur has been one of Palace’s most underrated player this season.
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Injuries in attack have forced Hodgson to re-shuffle his pack and it’s ended up with McArthur moving to the right to accommodate Cheikhou Kouyate in a four-man midfield.
Not one to whine about it the 31-year-old is possibly Hodgson’s best performers this season.
He goes about his business in a workman-like fashion. He’s given a brief by Hodgson and he’s executed it to a ‘T.’
In both defence and attack he’s excelled. He’s come in to a couple of goals recently which will always be welcome in a side struggling to find the back of the net.
He’s turned in to a real leader in the squad since his arrival four years ago and the contract extension offered to him shows the regard in which the decision-makers at the club hold him in.
Speaking honestly after the 3-1 Brighton humbling, you can see the high standards the former Wigan man expects from himself and those around him.
It will be intriguing to see how formation and personnel change when Christian Benteke is available, one assumes he will come back in the fold allowing Wilfried Zaha and Andros Townsend to resume their wide-roles.
Such is the form of McArthur there should always be room for a man of his capabilities, he’s Palace's equivalent of James Milner, and we all know about the headlines ‘boring’ Milner gets.
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