Patrick Vieira's handling of Odsonne Edouard could scare off potential Crystal Palace targets, journalist Dean Jones has suggested.

The 24-year-old is a recent Palace signing and has constantly been overlooked by his manager in recent weeks.

How are things going for Edouard at Palace?

Of late, not well. Edouard had made a dream start to life at Selhurst Park after scoring two goals on his debut in a 3-0 win against Tottenham; however, things have been really up and down since then.

The Frenchman went on to register against the likes of Arsenal and Liverpool but has failed to nail down a spot in Vieira's starting XI.

He was an unused sub in recent fixtures versus Wolves, Burnley and Stoke City in the fifth round of the FA Cup.

Ultimately, for whatever reason, it seems that Vieira does not have full trust in his striker or is not fully convinced by him yet.

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What has Jones said about Edouard, Vieira and Palace?

With Edouard being a recent £14m signing and one Vieira brought in, Jones thinks his situation could influence players Palace look to recruit in the future.

Speaking to GIVEMESPORT, the transfer insider said: "On one hand, they'll look at Vieira and how personable he can be.

"If he likes you, he tends to put his trust in you, but then they'll also look at players like Edouard and think, 'What if that ends up being me?' So it's all about being able to sell the club at that point."

Can Edouard hold down a starting spot under Vieira?

While things are not going to plan right now, it is hard to see why not later down the line. After all, Vieira was the man in charge when Edouard arrived, so you would have to imagine that he gave the go-ahead for his purchase and rates some of the forward's qualities.

Edouard has also shown what he can do at this level by dispatching against three of the biggest clubs in the country in Liverpool, Arsenal and Tottenham.

In total he has scored six goals in 22 Premier League games, but only 15 of those appearances have been starts, so it is not the worst record.

Nevertheless, on that front, Vieira may want more, while there could also be other aspects of Edouard's game where the Arsenal legend feels he can improve.

If the former Celtic man remains patient, works hard and takes everything he is told on board, then there is no reason why he cannot cement a place in Palace's XI.