The Crystal Palace defender Pape Souaré will undergo surgery this week having been airlifted to hospital with leg and jawbone injuries after a serious car crash on the M4 near Heathrow airport. The Senegal international was involved in the road traffic accident on Sunday afternoon, with fire crews forced to cut him out of his Mercedes G63.

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The vehicle is understood to have ploughed into the central reservation after a collision with another vehicle, with pictures from the scene – showing debris strewn across the carriageway between junctions two and three – having been widely shared on social media. While the driver of the other vehicle did not require hospital treatment, Souaré was taken by air ambulance to an east London hospital, where he remains, with surgery scheduled for later this week. His injuries are not life-threatening.

“He’s not in a good way in terms of football because I think he’s broken his leg maybe but thankfully he looks sound other than that, and a bit bashed up,” the Palace manager, Alan Pardew, said.

“We’ll have to look after him and get him back as quick as we can. He’s great lad, a great player for us and he’ll be a big loss. These things happen and, more importantly, it’s not more than it could have been because, obviously, if you see the state of the car and the size of the accident, it was a big accident.”

Palace added in a statement: “The player has sustained injuries to his thigh and jawbone and will remain in hospital whilst he receives treatment. The club are liaising closely with the hospital on his progress and we obviously wish him a speedy recovery. Our thoughts are with Pape and his family at this time.”

The 26-year-old was signed from Lille in January 2015 for around £4m and has played 55 times for the London club, featuring in the first three Premier League fixtures of this term and establishing himself as first choice at left-back. However, he had missed Saturday’s win at Middlesbrough and it is too early, as yet, to determine when he might be able to play again.

Police are appealing for witnesses after the accident on the eastbound carriageway of the motorway. “Officers were called shortly before 12:10pm on Sunday 11 September to reports of two cars in collision between junctions four and three,” a spokesman said. “London Ambulance Service attended and the driver of one of the cars – a man aged in his 20s – was taken to an east London hospital for treatment. His injuries are not life-threatening. The driver of the other car involved did not require hospital treatment.”