Roy Hodgson: Crystal Palace boss will not use word 'retirement' around future
- Published
Hodgson has taken charge of 389 Premier League matches
Crystal Palace boss Roy Hodgson says he will not mention the word "retire" when discussing his next steps in football.
The 75-year-old former England manager returned to Selhurst Park in March for a second spell on a deal running until the end of the season.
He has now guided the Eagles to safety after they were three points above the relegation zone when he took over.
"I should leave the options totally open and who knows what will happen," said Hodgson.
"I'm not going to mention the word 'retire'. I don't think I did the first time, I tried not to, but of course it became I assumed that when I left Crystal Palace and didn't look for another job, I was retiring.
"But I'm certainly not going to make that mistake again, because when I went back to Watford, suddenly the talk is, 'he's come out of retirement to do this'."
Hodgson spent four years with Palace from 2017 but decided to step away from football in the summer of 2021, before being appointed Watford boss in January 2022 - leaving five months later after they were relegated to the Championship.
Under Hodgson's predecessor Patrick Vieira, Palace were without a win in 12 matches in all competitions until he was sacked in March and Hodgson was reappointed.
But Hodgson, who has managed 22 teams across eight different countries, has not confirmed whether he will stay or leave the Eagles after this season.
"I am enjoying life at the moment," he said.
"All the time I feel capable of working. I will consider offers that come my way.
"But I don't have an agent actively seeking work for me, so people have to find me because I'm not actively canvassing them."
His managerial career has spanned more than 45 years and includes stints at Inter Milan, Blackburn, Fulham, Liverpool, West Brom and Palace, while he has also led the national sides of Switzerland, United Arab Emirates and Finland.
Hodgson has managed six clubs in the Premier League and already holds the record for being the competition's oldest manager.
Palace are now mathematically safe from relegation with 40 points in 12th place and host Bournemouth on Saturday.
Our coverage of Crystal Palace is bigger and better than ever before - here's everything you need to know to make sure you never miss a moment
