Roy Hodgson will miss Crystal Palace’s trip to Aston Villa after 76-year-old ‘was taken unwell’ on Saturday… with Paddy McCarthy to lead the Eagles instead

Roy Hodgson will not be in the dugout for Crystal Palace’s visit to Villa Park after ‘feeling unwell’ earlier on Saturday.

According to the Eagles’ Twitter account, their manager will not be present at the match, with Paddy McCarthy and Ray Lewington set to lead the team in their Premier League match against Aston Villa.

A club statement on Twitter read: ‘Unfortunately Roy Hodgson became unwell earlier today and is not at Villa Park.

‘Roy is in contact with Paddy McCarthy, who will take over the team today, assisted by Ray Lewington.

“Roy sent his best wishes to the team ahead of the match. We send our very best wishes to Roy.”

Paddy McCarthy (left) will take charge of Palace at Villa Park in Hodgson’s absence

The 76-year-old is currently in his second spell as manager of Crystal Palace, having rejoined the side in March this year, taking over from outgoing manager Patrick Vieira.

The former Arsenal man was sacked due to the Eagles’ poor form, which saw them fail to win 12 games in a row between January and March.

Eagles owner Steve Parish was concerned that the club would be relegated given their results, and once again called on Hodgson to help steady the ship.

The former England manager did just that, guiding the Eagles to an 11th-place finish and winning five of his side’s last 10 league matches.

Despite initially only returning to the club for a short spell, Hodgson ultimately decided to stay on as Palace boss this season.

His side had a mixed start to the 2023/24 season, having won two games against Sheffield United and Wolves, while losing 1-0 at home to Arsenal before drawing against Brentford.

A win at Villa Park could see Palace climb into the top four, depending on results elsewhere.

Assistant manager McCarthy has been in his role at Palace since Hodgson returned to the club in March. He also made 151 appearances for Palace between 2008 and 2016.

Lewington has also worked as assistant coach to Hodgson and will today lead the team alongside McCarthy in the manager’s absence.

Ray Lewington (left) will assist McCarthy, with Hodgson unable to take his place on the sideline

Speaking at a press conference on Friday about the test that Aston Villa will present for his part on Saturday afternoon, Hodgeson said: ‘(It will be) a tough test.

‘They (Aston Villa) are good. They were good last season. They finished seventh and participated in European competition for the first time in a long time, a great achievement.

‘They have also started well this season and have strengthened their team with two or three key signings, making them even stronger.

‘Like so many other Premier League teams we come across, they are there not only to be respected but also to be feared for what they can do, so you have to prepare your own team as best you can so that they don’t do anything. is going to totally surprise us, but we still have to deal with the quality of their players.”