‘I hope’ – Roy Hodgson makes Dougie Freedman admission as Crystal Palace sporting director linked with Man United role

Roy Hodgson hopes Crystal Palace are able to keep hold of Dougie Freedman amid reports linking the sporting director with a move to Manchester United.

Sir Jim Ratcliffe is reportedly eyeing up a swoop for the former Bolton and Nottingham Forest boss once his  £1.3billion deal to buy a 25 per cent stake in the Red Devils is completed. 

Freedman, who managed the Eagles 90 times before leaving for Bolton in October 2012, returned to Selhurst Park as sporting director in 2017. 

The South Londoners have signed the likes of Michael Olise, Eberechi Eze, Marc Guehi, Cheick Doucoure and Joachim Andersen under the former Scottish striker. 

Freedman has also secured impressive free signings such as Vicente Guaita, Sam Johnstone and Jefferson Lerma in recent windows.

Michael Edwards, Paul Mitchell and Julian Ward have also all been linked with the role at Old Trafford.

Hodgson said: “Am I surprised that he’s being linked with other clubs? Not at all.

“People like him are hard to find. I’m pretty certain that Steve Parish and the other directors of the club won’t be at all happy if he’s stolen away from us with a club who have more resources then we have got.

“He’s done an outstanding job here. If the club had a little bit more money to splash around in the transfer window over these last few years, he would have done an even better job.

“I couldn’t begin to bore you with the list of players we have followed and looked at, but we weren’t able to get them because other clubs have outbid us or taken them from under our noses.

“He’s very good at his job. 

“I hope, as a Crystal Palace person and a person working here, that the club are able to keep him. “It’s flattering for him that he’s being recognised for his talents. To some extent, it’s flattering for the club as well that we’re producing people of that sort of stature, who clubs with the sort of stature as Manchester United are interested in.”

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