Crystal Palace defender Mamadou Sakho facing lengthy spell out with muscle tear

Crystal Palace defender Mamadou Sakho has sustained a muscle tear in his calf and is set for a lengthy spell on the sidelines.

Sakho, who returned from a serious knee injury in September, has captained Palace in their last four League games and suffered his latest setback in Saturday's 2-2 draw with Bournemouth.

"He'll be out a long time, how long a time? I don't know, they won't put a time on it, but it's a serious muscle tear in his calf so I don't know, but it's weeks not days, I couldn't say if it was months," Palace boss Roy Hodgson told reporters on Monday.

"We'll miss him, in this period he's played a decisive role, been captain, shown his qualities and when you lose a player like that you can't be anything other than disappointed and sad."

Fellow defender Joel Ward has also sustained a calf injury and will miss bottom-placed Palace's game against Watford on Tuesday.