Pape Souare Injury: Palace Defender out for Up to 6 Months After Car Accident

Crystal Palace defender Pape Souare could be out of action for up to six months after breaking his thighbone in a car accident, Eagles manager Alan Pardew revealed on Friday.  

The 26-year-old crashed on the M4 motorway in London on Sunday and had to be airlifted to hospital. Pardew said he is currently unclear of the specifics of the accident, per Andy Donley and Chris Osborne on BBC Sport:

"

It was a broken thigh, there will be a rod through that bone. That should repair stronger. In four, five or six months - he should be up and running again.

I'm not really clear of the details of the accident.

He's having some bad news with his father—he's very sick—so maybe that was on his mind. But it's a situation he couldn't avoid.

"

Initial reports indicated that Souare also sustained injuries to his jaw in the accident, per Sky Sports.

Souare was not in the Palace squad for their 2-1 away defeat of Middlesbrough the day before the incident, leading fans to reportedly "question his whereabouts," per Mark Ritson in the Croydon Advertiser.

He did, though, start in Palace's first three matches of the new Premier League season in the left-back role.

Souare was also a key part of Pardew's team last term—starting 34 Premier League games—having moved to Selhurst Park in January 2015 from French club Lille.

The Senegalese will now need to be covered in his long-term absence, with the Mirror's Ed Malyon indicating Palace may have to move in the January transfer window to bolster the left-back department:

The current options in Pardew's squad to slot in as Souare's replacement are Martin Kelly—who started against Boro—and Zeki Fryers.