Crystal Palace boss Ian Holloway stands by including Paddy McCarthy in his Premier League squad.
The defender is still three weeks away from being fit enough for first team consideration.
"Paddy is well on the way to getting back," said Holloway in the South London Press. "I hope he will be ready in about three weeks. It was always going to be a gamble including him in our 25, as to whether he would be ready or not before January.
"We felt Paddy would have more influence in the dressing room than Florian Marange - and we thought he might be fit a little earlier.
"But whether or not he is fit, we need his type of people. His attitude has been sensational. He always believes we are going to get better and stronger. He has had a couple of breakdowns in training - and now I hope there won't be any more.
"This is a very unforgiving division, though - so he has to get to a Championship level of fitness and then to a Premier League level. The players in our league are the quickest and strongest in the world and if you make a mistake you are punished.
"But no one is more driven for Palace to do well than he is."
