Roy Hodgson on why Connor Wickham's move to Sheffield Wednesday from Crystal Palace could work out well for everyone

Roy Hodgson admits he simply couldn’t find a way of getting Connor Wickham enough games, as the Crystal Palace manager explained why he allowed the forward to make the move to Sheffield Wednesday on Friday.

Wickham’s recent career has been decimated by injuries and while there had been signs of the 26-year-old, of late, regaining the fitness that has eluded him in his time at Selhurst Park, Hodgson said the player needs the regular football that can’t be offered at Palace.

“We have got Cenk Tosun, Christian Benteke coming back from injury and Jordan Ayew, so that is three centre forwards," said the Palace boss this weekend.

"So if I had kept him [Wickham] back to keep up the numbers and be covered, if we really are unlucky and get two or three people going down, I might have given him another five or six months without the chance to play.

“The opportunity came up for him to go to a Championship club, a good Championship club, where I am hoping that he won’t just train with them every day, but he will get into the team and start to do well, and then hopefully, because he is still a Crystal Palace player, we might see the Connor Wickham that people may have seen four years ago.

“Unfortunately in the time I have been here, I haven’t seen that, because most of his time has been ruined by injury."