Crystal Palace boss Roy Hodgson admits the season-ending injury for on-loan Everton striker Cenk Tosun is a heavy "blow".

The manager described Tosun's situation as a "massive, and cruel, blow", expressing huge sympathy for the Turkish forward who had settled in well in South London.

He said: "It's a real blow, it's a massive blow in particular for him. He was starting to really find his feet at the club, and was hoping to play a much bigger part than he's had in the last couple of years at Everton.

"He was looking good in training – we were really thinking it's going to be great having him with us for the latter part of the season – because he would have brought something we don't necessarily have within our squad.

"For him to get this really bad knee injury, it's come at a really bad time for everybody – most importantly of all for Cenk. He takes his international football very seriously – he wants to play for his country, so to be hit by this cruel blow, it's very difficult for him – and we have enormous sympathy for him here at the club – and we really do wish him well with the surgery and hope to see him back very soon. It's a massive blow to us and to the player."