Angry Bruce says there is no crisis at struggling Toon
Hodgson wishes the right-back had decided to stay at Selhurst Park for a few more years, but admits he did not try to talk him out of a £50million summer move to Manchester United.
And he would not be surprised to see the 21-year-old selected by Gareth Southgate for next month’s Euro 2020 qualifiers against Bulgaria and Kosovo.
Hodgson said: “There’s no reason for me to say he’s not ready, absolutely not.
“I’m pretty sure Gareth and his selectors are feeding back that this boy’s a good player and, if we need him, this boy’s ready.”
Wan-Bissaka endured a tough Euro 2019 with the England Under-21s while his move to United was rumbling on.
But he has already impressed at Old Trafford and is set to push Manchester City’s Kyle Walker and Liverpool’s Trent Alexander-Arnold for an England place when the squad is named next week.
Wan-Bissaka faces his old club today with words of praise from his former mentor ringing in his ears.
Hodgson said: “We were hoping, deep down, that he might think, ‘I’ll give it another year or two at Palace first and then hope to move’. But it’s an unrealistic hope.
“When the really big clubs in Europe and the world come knocking at your door and say to you, ‘we think you’re a good player’, I don’t think there’s UNDER-FIRE boss Steve Bruce insists he is not in command of a Newcastle side in the grip of a crisis.
Ahead of tomorrow’s daunting visit to Tottenham, Bruce has come out all guns blazing amid claims of dressing-room unrest and accusations of tactical mismanagement.
The 58-year-old knew he was walking into a potential storm when he replaced Rafa Benitez but two defeats, including an abject display in the 3-1 loss at Norwich last Saturday, have brought into sharp focus the job he faces.
“Internally, I don’t think we’re in crisis,” said Bruce, below.
“We didn’t play well enough last week. How many managers are saying that today? About half of them.
“Maybe I’m guilty of telling it the way it was.”
Bruce added: “What insults me more than anything is the insinuation we can’t do warm-ups and tactics.
“All we’ve worked on is team shape since I’ve been here.
“To get the insinuation we’re not capable – that criticism hurts because it’s untrue.
“No-one else in the country would be under the spotlight that I feel I’m under at the minute.
“But it is what it is and I have to accept it.
“I could have said
‘no’, but
I am prepared to roll up my sleeves and hope the team responds the right way – I’m sure they will.”
Spurs boss Mauricio Pochettino has sent Victor Wanyama packing towards a £10million move to Bruges by saying: “We are not a charity.”
Pochettino once described Wanyama as his “beast”, but the Argentinian has no time for sentiment and warned: “It’s all about performance.
“Football is for today and tomorrow, not yesterday.
“You need always to show that you are there and deserve to be there.
“In the case of Victor, he suffered an injury and another player stepped up and took his place.We are in a team, not a charity.
“I am making clear the answer is not about Victor – it is about performance and the coaching staff have a lot of different options to play different players.
“I need to take the decision and hope it will be right.
“Victor is a very important player and, for different circumstances, went backwards.”