John Bostock has attracted plenty of attention since making his Eagles debut at the age of 15
CRYSTAL Palace's assistant manager Mick Jones has revealed he expects young starlet John Bostock to remain at Selhurst Park after the teenager's representatives met with the club for the first time on Thursday.
Ever since the 16-year-old burst onto the scene, he has had clubs stretching as far as Spain interested in securing his signature.
With a crop of talented youngsters breaking into the first team at SE25, Jones is adamant Bostock's future is brightest with the Eagles.
He said: "The meeting was about his future and whether it was better here or else-where and I think it is fairly obvious it is better here.
"If I was a parent and Arsenal, Chelsea, Man United, Liverpool and Crystal Palace were chasing my kid, I would choose Crystal Palace."
He added: "It is proven our academy is handled very well and young players will always get an opportunity with our manager.
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"It all went very well and money was not mentioned once during the meeting."
While the club look to secure the services of one promising teenager, they have let a seasoned fans' favourite leave the club on loan.
Veteran Dougie Freedman has made a U-turn on his previous decision to stay and has joined Leeds United on loan until the end of the season.
However, the Eagles have the option of recalling the Scotsman back to the club after 28 days and Jones is confident Freedman can still play a pivotal part in Palace's run-in.
He said: "Personally I am hoping he will come back to us after a month and be like a new signing, but full-time football is exactly what he needs at the moment."
With the exit of Freedman and the continued frosty relationship between Neil Warnock and Shefki Kuqi, Palace are left with limited options in attack.
Jones revelead Warnock is finding it a difficult task bring fresh firepower into the squad.
He said: "The biggest problem Neil faces is everyone wants a centre forward, but there are players we are looking at.
"One is injured at the moment and he will have to get fit before we entertain him but he's not far away.
"Neil has a habit if pulling a rabbit out of the hat when you least expect it, so something could develop."
Palace entertain bottom-club Colchester at Selhurst Park on Saturday.
But Jones is not expecting the Essex outfit to roll over lightly.
He said: "I am wary about tomorrow's game and if anyone is lethargic or pessimistic, we will have to avoid that attitude.
"Despite what anyone has said, we have gone off track in recent games.
"No matter what Colchester's position is at the moment it has to be 95 percent us and five percent them. I think it is vital that we beat them."
Tony Craig, Mark Kennedy, and Neil Danns are certain to miss the visit of the Us and injury prone Paul Ifill is a major doubt.
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