Jordan AyewJordan Ayew

Hodgson insists having faith in 'struggling' Ayew and other strikers

Crystal Palace coach Roy Hodgson believes Jordan Ayew and other strikers will hit top form soon despite their slow start to the Premier League season.

The 27-year-old Ghana international, who joined Palace on loan from Swansea City in August, has struggled for goals, sparking reports that the club is considering a move for another striker in January. 

However, Hodgson insists he has faith in his forwards, who he thinks can help the Eagles beat the drop.

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“We have Christian Benteke coming back from injury. We have Connor Wickham trying to recover from a two-year absence. We’ve still got players like Alexander Sorloth and Jordan Ayew, bona fide centre-forwards. We still believe that we have players to score, Hodgson said as quoted by The Independent.

“I have faith in the squad, faith in the group. Until these last two games, people were telling me how well we were playing. Now I get the impression I’m being told we are absolutely hopeless.

“New faces, maybe perking up the squad and giving you another arrow to your bow, that can be a help. But in January that can be difficult.

“You need to bring someone in who will make an immediate impact. We don’t need extra bodies. We have 20-22 outfield players. Anyone who comes in would have to be a considerable improvement on what we’ve got.

“I still see the bigger picture. I see the players we have. I believe the way we play and the players we have will be more than sufficient to stay in the league.”

“The bottom line is we need to improve on the goalscoring front, take our chances more. We’re not a particularly defensive team, but someone needs to stand up and start scoring.”

Ayew played the entire game on Saturday when Palace defeated Leicester City 1-0 at home to move up on the log.
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