Jean-Philippe Mateta is working hard to recover from a serious ear injury

Jean-Philippe Mateta says he has received a lot of support from Crystal Palace and his teammates after suffering a serious ear injury as he works towards recovery with the aim of returning to action in the FA Cup quarter-final against Fulham on March 29, when he will wear a protective mask.

The Crystal Palace striker revealed in an interview with Sky Sports News that he had hoped to continue playing after being injured in the FA Cup match against Millwall.

In Crystal Palace's 3-1 FA Cup fifth round win over Millwall last month, Mateta was fouled by Millwall goalkeeper Liam Roberts and was taken off the field on a stretcher and received 25 stitches in hospital.

Because of this flying kick, Roberts was banned for an additional six games by the English Football Association. Mateta was rushed to the hospital due to serious ear injuries, and the blood-stained scene was shocking.

However, Mateta did not realize the severity of the injury at the time and even tried to persuade the team doctor to let him continue the game.

"When he kicked me, I was on the ground waiting for the red card," Mateta recalled in an exclusive interview with Sky Sports News' Kaveh Solhekol. "I felt like I could still play and just thought 'wipe the blood off and play on'.

"I argued with the team doctor for 30 seconds and insisted on continuing to play. The doctor saw my wound, but I couldn't see it."

"I didn't feel any pain, I just bled a lot. I thought it was just a small cut, actually, my ear almost fell off, but it didn't really hurt."

Mateta added: "Everyone at Crystal Palace sent me messages and wanted to come and see me. The doctor told them I was fine and would be back in training."

“Liam also texted me while I was in hospital and I told him ‘it’s OK, it’s football’. He apologised to me and you could tell he was worried.”