Hodgson elaborated, saying: "He’s ready to start because he’s physically fit to start, but I still think he probably needs more time with us and he needs more time as close to a starting position as he is with us, which he's not necessarily been in that situation with Everton.
"He’s still if you like finding his feet here, moving from Liverpool, settling his family, finding a house. All of those type of things that people have to do when they move and you can’t expect them to suddenly snap their fingers and it all to fall into place. But he’s certainly working at it and he's got a smile on his face and seems happy to be here. We're hoping he's going to be able to do the job that we brought him in to do."
Turning his attention to the weekend's opposition, Manchester City, Hodgson was asked about the respect he has for manager Pep Guardiola. He said: "I’d like to think so [there’s mutual respect], I mean I certainly have a lot of respect for him. I can’t speak for him of course. It would be almost impossible not to respect what he's achieved in the game and the enormous success he’s had wherever he's been.
"Also I happen to appreciate the way his teams play and the way he handles himself in interviews which are something I do watch and study because I find myself often in a similar position. It's always nice to see how other managers deal with those situations and I've got to say he deals with them quite brilliantly. So it will be a pleasure to meet him again."