Crystal Palace boss Roy Hodgson uncertain if Mamadou Sakho will return to action this season

Mamadou Sakho is working hard to be fit before the end of the season, but Roy Hodgson will not rush the Crystal Palace defender by putting a date on his comeback.

Sakho has been out since February after suffering a knee injury during the 4-1 victory at Leicester City.

The Frenchman has since had surgery and he is currently undergoing rehabilitation at Palace’s training ground in Beckenham.

Sakho has set his sights on playing for the Eagles, who travel to Newcastle on Saturday, before the end of the season.

However, Hodgson is keen to not rush the defender back into action by setting a date on when he could return.

“He is making progress and is where everyone on the medical team thinks he should be,” Hodgson told Standard Sport.

“He is certainly working at it. He is in all the time, I speak to him every day. He is following very closely what we are doing because he is very keen and a serious student of the game.

“He certainly would like to come back before the end of the season.

“Whether we can get him back before the end of the season, I really don’t know. There is certainly no point in his current stage of recovery to start talking about that.

“It is better that he just carries on with his recovery and we will see as time goes by. If medically it is at all feasible to do it, I am sure we will see him.

“But I couldn’t really tell you whether it is feasible or not.”