Wilfried Zaha ahead of schedule for Crystal Palace return but Mamadou Sakho suffers setback

Crystal Palace winger Wilfried Zaha is ahead of schedule as he recovers from a knee injury suffered at the start of the month but Mamadou Sakho's return may be delayed.

Zaha, a key player for Palace this season with four Premier League goals in 20 starts, was injured in the 1-1 draw with Newcastle United on February 4 but played the full 90 minutes.

The 25-year-old was initially ruled out for a month but manager Roy Hodgson said Zaha was further ahead than the club thought he would be at this stage.

"He is doing very well and is way ahead of schedule," Hodgson told a news conference ahead of Sunday's league visit by fifth-placed Tottenham.

"His attitude and desire to get back on the field is quite outstanding, I don't think I have come across anyone any better in my career than him in that respect.

"He's much further forward than we thought he would be but that still means we are looking at several weeks ahead before we can really count on him I think.

"He has already moved much further ahead than we thought, no one thought he would be fit until perhaps several weeks after the international break but now we are bringing that period closer because we think we might get him back early.

"If we do, great credit to the medical staff, but even greater credit to himself because he is much further forward than medically he should be at this stage."

Hodgson said he still had 12 senior players out injured as they approach the home stretch of the season, but Sakho is facing a few more weeks on the sidelines after initial hopes of a return this weekend.

"It's a different team for me at the moment and the only two that we will get back within the next week or two are Jeffrey Schlupp and Martin Kelly.

"Possibly (Joel) Ward and possibly (Mamadou) Sakho, but the others are still long term and we'll have to wait possibly until after the international break."

He added: "Mama's still feeling this calf injury, so we'll have to wait and see. We have to wait for him to let us know he's ready."

Relegation-threatened Palace are 15th in the table with 27 points, just one point clear of the drop zone with 11 games remaining in the league.

Additional reporting by Reuters.