Part of the reason Jairo Riedewald is thought to be close to agreeing a new contract at Crystal Palace is to help and drive down the average age of the squad. 

Indeed, the Eagles had the oldest average age in the Premier League last season and the Dutchman, along with Eberechi Eze and Nathan Ferguson, appears to represent a slightly fresher core of players to take the club forward. 

Interestingly, however, The Athletic suggest the rejuvenation may not be translated in the dugout. 

With Roy Hodgson out of contract at the end of the season, it does seem natural to consider a scenario in which the 73-year-old retires.

There has been no confirmation of any plans though - given there's never been a manager older than him in the Premier League - it's certainly not a stretch to imagine Hodgson calling time on his 45-year managerial career reasonably soon. 

Still, writing in his mailbag, Matt Woosnam has revealed there is no indication to suggest it's a possibility as soon as this summer. 

''For as long as he is happy to continue and results reflect no significant danger of relegation, it would be illogical to move on from what has essentially proven to be a highly successful three years in charge'' he writes

Roy Hodgson future retirement Crystal Palace

Speaking on the matter before, the former England coach has stated he'll know when the time is right to call an end to a career to have spanned numerous countries. 

When sitting down for an interview with Sky Sports back in 2019, Hodgson spoke of how he was aiming to develop the club's academy even further in order to take the club on to the next level going forward. 

With that in mind, it looks like there's a job still to do and Palace will be more than aware of the risks of experimenting on the managerial front. After all, who can forget Frank de Boer's time at Selhurst Park?

A steady pair of hands, Hodgson doesn't yet look like yesterday's man.