When Yohan Cabaye was substituted after 72 minutes against Swansea City on Saturday, the initial thought of many Crystal Palace fans was that he’s re-injured himself, especially as he seemed to be limping as he left the field.

However, manager Alan Pardew has eased any fears that the Frenchman would miss more game time after his recent absence with an ankle injury by explaining that he was simply suffering with cramp.

As reported by the South London Press, Pardew said:

He’s fine. He has a bit of cramp – because of his sore foot he hadn’t worked really in the last seven or eight days.

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The news will come as a huge relief for Palace fans as they’ve seen the first team severely depleted over the course of the season, and with James McArthur and Jason Puncheon now ruled out, it’s imperative that they keep Cabaye fit and firing for the remainder of the campaign.

Palace had looked in decent shape to secure a European spot before the turn of the New Year, but that will be difficult to achieve now with a host of clubs leapfrogging them in the league standings.