Speaking to The Athletic, the Palace boss highlighted how impressed he was with the USMNT defender over his versatility to switch into the midfield last-minute at the weekend. Richards was named Man of the Match after his performance, where Palace drew West Ham 1-1.
Richards plays in the center of the defense normally, but has struggled to break into the starting XI this campaign. This move – into the midfield – could pave the way for him to get more regular minutes in the Premier League. For the USMNT, though, it might not be the best option for Gregg Berhalter and co. as they need their best young defender playing in his best position.
“I thought he did well,” Hodgson said. “He found out very late. We’ve been preparing all week to play against West Ham with a certain formation in mind and a certain way of playing and attacking, but it had to change at the very last minute when we lost Jeff Schlupp overnight.
“That was a blow for the team to have to come to terms with, but the decision was Chris should go in there. We thought that was the best way to help us get a result and he must be very pleased with his performance as a central midfield player, albeit that he is, by trade, more of a center-half.”
Asked if he would play him again in the middle of the pitch, the English manager said:
“I can (see it),” he said. “I don’t know about his versatility, I haven’t had any chances to prove his versatility or adaptability all the time I’ve been here. He’s been a centerback, trying to get into the team in place of Andersen and Guehi and that’s been a tough nut for him to crack. But it was an interesting experiment because we like him and think he has a lot of qualities.
“It seemed to us that he could play in that position, but it was an unknown. Luckily we took the chance because it went extremely well and has added another string to his bow. He must be feeling pretty good about the fact he found out late he was going to play in a (new) position but did it very well.”
The USMNT defender, now potential Palace midfielder, will return to action for the English side on Wednesday against Bournemouth. Until then, Hodgson has to determine if he wants to run Richards back in the midfield once again.
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