Hodgson Prepared To Miss Palace Games Because Of Coronavirus

There have been 209 cases of the Coronavirus recorded in the UK, with two deaths, and the government is has scheduled a meeting with sports governing bodies and broadcasters on Monday to put in place contingency plans should the spread of the disease become uncontrollable.

Games could be played behind-closed-doors and people over the age of 70, who are more susceptible to the virus, could be prevented from attending football games for the time being.

At the age of 72, Hodgson is the Premier League’s oldest ever manager, and the former England and Liverpool boss could be prevented from attending Crystal Palace games if the proposed rules are enforced.

"I'll wait and see what happens and it's not something that concerns me," he said after Palace beat Watford 1-0 to move up to 11th in the Premier League on Saturday.

"I presume they'll be doing that to protect us. I've read that it's the people that are older that are most at risk but I feel very healthy. Being at the club will keep me a lot healthier - more so than the average guy who spends a lot of his time on the tube.

"But we are doing our level best at the club to respect all the guidelines - we have cleaners going around disinfecting the training ground, we have hand-washes everywhere and players are no longer shaking hands or hugging each other."

Hodgson, who signed a new one-year contract at Selhurst Park on Friday, has led Crystal Palace to three straight wins in the league.