Roy Hodgson leaves the door open for a longer stay at Crystal Palace

The 75-year-old led Palace to their first win of 2023 against Leicester on Saturday in his first game back in the lead at Selhurst Park.

Hodgson came out of retirement to take his place Patrick Vieira short term until the end of the season and has been tasked with keeping Palace in the Premier League.

Palace have started looking for a long-term appointment, but Hodgson has said he would be open to a longer stay.

“I came back very simply because the club wanted someone to help between now and the end of the season, someone they knew and believed in,” he said.

“They turned to me and to Ray [Lewington, his assistant]. We were happy to say, ‘Thank you for trusting us. If we’re the one you want, we’ll come.’”

Hodgson retired in the summer of 2021, but returned in January 2022 in an unsuccessful attempt to save Watford from relegation, before retiring again last summer.

“I don’t know,” said Hodgson when asked if he could stay next year. “Although I don’t really feel my age, the fact is that I’m getting older.

“I would be very surprised if Crystal Palace wanted to go down that road – and I certainly won’t be pressuring them to go down that road. But then [again], I didn’t push them to come to me and ask me to come back too. I don’t push people. I’m flattered they asked me to do the job.

“The one thing I’m definitely not going to say is that when summer comes, ‘I’m retiring’. I don’t like the word pension. I prefer, “I’m taking a step back and I’m not actively looking to move on.” But who knows what the future will bring? If it brings something like that, I always want to be able to say that I will do it without saying that I will come out of retirement.”