Crystal Palace chief: I can understand if Max Meyer wants January transfer exit

Crystal Palace manager Roy Hodgson has indicated he would not block Max Meyer making a January exit.

The 25-year-old German’s only appearance this season has been in the EFL Cup against Bournemouth.

“Max has been the perfect professional – he has done all his work,” said Hodgson. “He’s hardly missed a day’s training.

“He is a player of a certain type. He wants to play and needs to play. It’s pretty obvious at the moment with the competition for places we have got here and the players I’ve been using that he has been marginalised.

“I wouldn’t be surprised if Max is knocking on the door to move on. If that’s the case I would have to reluctantly agree he’s not been given the chances here to show what he can do – as he would like. If someone is going to give him that chance it would have to be considered.

“But at the moment, as far as I know, he is still a Crystal Palace player and will continue to be so until someone else comes in and takes him from us.”

Hodgson also claimed to be unaware of interest from Ajax in Patrick van Aanholt.

The Dutchman is out of contract at the end of this season and has been linked with a return to his homeland.

Hodgson said: “Not that I’m aware of. Doug Freedman is the person who the clubs go to, in regards to any interest in our players. He’s also the man who is tasked with trying to sort out the contracts of the players whose contracts are running out.

“I’ve heard nothing at all about any interest from Ajax in Patrick. That’s not to mean to say there isn’t any. Maybe it just hasn’t come our way yet – things often start in newspapers before they land where they should land, the football club.”