The winger is a frustrating character.

He is blessed with bundles of speed, a rocket of a shot and trickery that would make Dynamo gasp in awe.

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Sadly for Townsend those qualities are on show all too sporadically. For every strike on target, there are three clipping the Selhurst Park upper tiers. For every dangerous cross there are two that fail to beat the first man. For every bit of skill there is a simple pass missed.

These claims are nothing new, more of a release of frustration from the Selhurst faithful.

That said, he has been one of Roy Hodgson’s stand out performers this campaign.

Wilfried Zaha is undoubtedly the crown jewel, but with the Ivorian finding himself on the treatment table a number of weeks this season the former Tottenham and Newcastle man has stepped up to the plate.

He is often the sole threat in a Palace side short on creativity.

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He’s found himself playing in a strike pairing with Zaha, when fit, and although he’s been effective up top, both players would benefit from having a target man leading the line.

With Connor Wickham and Christian Benteke drawing nearer to a return to action, I fully expect both Townsend and Zaha to kick on in the second half of the season.

It’s hard to criticise Townsend because he has been one of the Eagles star performers but you always feel short changed because you know he is capable of the sublime, like his strike against Burnley.

With four goals to his name this season, two in the league cup sadly, Townsend should be closer to double figures with the amount of chances he creates and efforts he has. His modest return is a reflection of the frustration he causes.