Ward will also offer Vitor Matos an option in the heart of defence, where Kaelan Casey has been back-up to Ben Cabango and Cameron Burgess this season with summer signing Ricardo Santos featuring only once as a substitute.

Ward spent 13 seasons playing for Palace in the Premier League after helping the Eagles win promotion from the Championship in 2012-13, his first year at the club after he joined from Portsmouth.

He made 364 appearances for Palace, scoring six goals, but played on only three occasions last season.

Ward was an unused substitute as Oliver Glasner's team beat Manchester City in the FA Cup final last May, having most recently played regular football when he managed 26 appearances in the 2023-24 season.

Ward described the cup triumph as a "fairytale ending" to his Palace playing career.

"It has been an incredible journey with so many fond memories, so many incredible moments – moments that will live on in my mind for the rest of my life," he said in a statement last May.

"This isn't 'goodbye' – it's merely a 'see you later'."

Hampshire-born Ward played 96 senior games for Portsmouth...