Roy Hodgson has "no idea" what his Crystal Palace bosses are planning amid speculation that the club's top brass are actively seeking his replacement.
Hodgson’s side are just five points clear of the relegation zone after winning only three of their last 15 Premier League games and have been plunged into injury crisis-mode after losing Michael Olise, Eberechi Eze and Marc Guehi in their last two outings.
Factions of the fanbase have raised protest banners and clashed with players in recent weeks, with the news of the important trio’s absence another blow for supporters desperately seeking a glimmer of hope ahead of Monday night’s meeting with Chelsea.
Former Nottingham Forest boss Steve Cooper has been rumoured as Palace’s first-choice candidate to supplant the 76-year-old Hodgson.
"I just put that completely to one side," Hodgson said.
"No one at the club, I have not heard anything to that extent from the chairman or sporting director.
"I have no idea what their thoughts are or plans are. I will wait for them maybe to one day let me know.
"I don’t think at the moment I need to concern myself with the speculation on the outside as it seems to be that is always going on somewhere. Ten Hag was under enormous [scrutiny], Mauricio Pochettino was under enormous criticism recently, even Eddie Howe, people were talking and names circulating.
"The future will take care of itself and it will be nice if the job here ends as it did when I stopped four years ago. That will be great. Maybe it will, maybe it won’t.
"In the meantime I’ve got to be strong and resilient and the players have to know that he is not changing, he has not read a newspaper and come here one day very upset.
"He comes in the same every day and treats us the same every day, they plan the training every day, they push us every day. And that is my only motivation."
It is a softened stance from Hodgson who, after Palace’s 3-1 victory over Sheffield United to conclude 2023 and snap an eight-game winless streak, sharply branded suggestions he might harbour job security fears as "disrespectful".
Hodgson will oversee his 200th Premier League match in charge of his boyhood club when he leads the Eagles out on Monday night at Selhurst Park, in front of supporters he has been especially "hurt" to disappoint.
Despite admitting it can be "hard to find the positives and the joy" amidst Palace’s "really bad patch", Hodgson insisted he still unearths inspiration on the training pitch, and has not once lost his motivation.
He added: "The fact is that this is my last spell in football. I took this job on knowing that come the end of the season, I wouldn’t be working here or anywhere else for that matter.
"That might come earlier than the end of the season, who knows. Nothing has changed for me in my attitude towards it, my desire to do the job properly and my love for the club for that matter.
"This club has been good to me, there is no doubt about that. I can only try and continue to be good for them but that will be judged from the outside."
