Tuchel opens up on Palace appeal to let Gallagher play against Chelsea

Thomas Tuchel spoke about Conor Gallagher in his press conference today and his absence in Crystal Palace's game against Chelsea in the semi-final of the FA Cup.

"I had the chance to speak to Conor, and I could also see his frustration. We met some weeks ago – after the international break by coincidence – we ran into each other in a restaurant, and we had a chat.

"The subject came up, and I apologised because I know how competitive he is and I like him a lot.

"I know his character very well, and was a pleasure to have him here in pre-season. This is the way it is. We play to win the game, and the rules were clear when we made the loan.

"I can totally understand Patrick Vieira and the disappointment of Conor, but these are the rules when we did the loan, and we don't want to suffer from our rules."