Roy Hodgson insists his enthusiasm for football management remains undimmed as he prepares to lead boyhood club Crystal Palace into a new Premier League campaign.

The former England boss, who turned 76 earlier this week, will be at the helm for the Eagles’ opener away to Sheffield United on Saturday after agreeing to stay on in charge of the south London club.

He returned to Palace for a second spell in charge in March following the departure of Patrick Vieira and made such a success of the job that not only did the side avoid the drop, they did so without the stress of a prolonged relegation battle thanks to a mid-table finish.

Palace may have seen star player Wilfried Zaha make a pre-season move to Turkish giants Galatasaray but Hodgson told a pre-match press conference on Friday: “I wanted to carry on because the club asked me to carry on.”

Read full story on sport.timesofmalta.com

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