Eberechi Eze and Marc Guehi will start for Crystal Palace in Thursday’s UEFA Conference League play-off against Fredrikstad despite transfer speculation, boss Oliver Glasner has confirmed.

Tottenham are believed to be working on a deal to sign Eze, while Guehi has been subject to interest from Liverpool with just one year left on his contract at Selhurst Park.

However, Glasner says the pair – who also started Palace’s Community Shield win over Manchester City and Premier League draw at Chelsea – will continue to play a “crucial role” for the Eagles as long as they remain contracted to the club.

“Many of you were surprised Marc and Ebs started and played almost the whole game [at Chelsea],” Glasner told the media at his pre-match press conference. “Most of you will be surprised that they will start again [on Thursday] because of all the rumours.

“But they are committed to the team, they have a contract here. They played a crucial part that we could be successful and they will play a crucial part as long as they are here.

“They are good, they are committed to the team. When one of the players will leave they want to leave as the guys who always gave 100 per cent for Crystal Palace. This is what they did since they signed many years ago and this is what we expect from them until the end of their contract, whenever this is.”

Eze jokingly said “give it a rest” to Sky Sports News reporter Gary Cotterill when he overheard comments about how he looked to be focused and committed in training.

Glasner says that attitude is a basic requirement for his players.

“If we all have to be pleased a player gives 100 per cent when he has a contract there’s something going wrong!

“It’s not that we should say thank you every day that Ebs gives 100 per cent. It’s what we can expect.”

Glasner also said Palace were calm about the situation surrounding two of their star men and remain focused on the challenges ahead on the pitch.

“Here at the training ground it’s not a big issue,” he said. “We’re not talking every day to Ebs and Marc and kneeling and saying ‘thank you, you arrived today’.

“We know things can happen. The window is not closed. They are always focused on what we have to do, our games. The rumours are not just for three days. We take it game by game, prepare in the best possible way, show the best performance and that’s the only way we can handle it.”

Glasner on Guehi incident at Chelsea

Glasner also dispelled any suggestion there was friction between him and Guehi after the defender appeared to snub the Palace boss at the end of the game with Chelsea.

“There’s so much nonsense written about this,” said Glasner about the incident.

“In my career I didn’t find many colleagues who are as ambitious as me or more ambitious than me – Marc is one of these guys.

“We were upset we didn’t win the game. I was a player for many years, when you’re emotional after the game and exhausted… sometimes what I shouted to my colleagues, it’s good there wasn’t a camera!

“It’s all good. Marc was disappointed that the goal was disallowed, that we didn’t win the game.

“It was reported in quite a negative way. I see it quite the opposite. It’s the best sign Marc could show how ambitious we all are. That we aren’t laid back now and saying ‘we’re the great FA Cup winners and everything is good’.

“This shows the development of Crystal Palace in the last one or two years that everybody is not pleased at getting a draw at Chelsea if we can win it.”