Crystal Palace had the ‘courage’ to take a ‘gamble’ on manager Patrick Vieira when they were choosing Roy Hodgson’s successor, according to The Sun journalist Tom Barclay.

The Eagles have thrived under the 46-year-old’s tutelage since his arrival back in July 2021, successfully building on the solid foundations that Hodgson left behind following his four-year stint at the helm.

What is the latest news involving Vieira?

Hodgson was in charge at Palace from 2017 to 2021, guiding them to Premier League survival with minimal fuss on each occasion.

The former England boss replaced Frank de Boer just five games into his extremely short-lived reign, and there were concerns that Vieira’s appointment could go a similar way.

However, the 46-year-old tactician has thrived in south London since Steve Parish appointed him, overseeing an overhaul of the first-team squad and playing style in his maiden campaign at the helm.

Palace finished in 12th position in the Premier League table last term while also reaching the FA Cup semi-finals, breathing new life into the club after four years of pragmatism.

What has Barclay said about Vieira?

Barclay told GiveMeSport: “Hodgson in himself was a realisation that they'd made a mistake quite early on with De Boer.

“And then bringing in Hodgson who was someone who did a very underrated job, alright it wasn't the most thrilling football at times, but when you look at how much they spent, he did a fantastic job there.

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“And then when he left, they had the courage to build from there and invest in young players, bring in a manager in Vieira, who arguably was a bit of a gamble at the time because it wasn't like he did the most outstanding job at Nice.

“It wasn't bad, but it wasn't a job that suggested he would be brilliant in the Premier League, but he just really fits.

“He seems to really fit with the identity of Palace, he plays good football, but he's also very adaptable, and it wasn't like revolution overnight from the Hodgson way of playing, it was more of a clever way of evolving from that.”

How well has Vieira done?

Vieira inherited the squad with the oldest average age (28.8) and immediately set about changing that, bringing in young talents such as Michael Olise, Marc Guehi and Odsonne Edouard.

Palace’s average age has now dropped to 26.5 as a result and they also managed to record their best defensive record last term since winning promotion in 2013.

Continuing that development both on and off the pitch will be the next step for Vieira as he looks to establish Palace in the top half of the Premier League standings.