The 25-year-old playmaker concluded 2022/23 with six goals and an assist in Hodgson’s 10 games in charge, warranting his England debut against Malta in June.
Returning for pre-season, Eze has picked up where he left off, recording an eye-catching two goals and five assists in just five pre-season fixtures, including a brilliant individual equaliser against Sevilla in Detroit.
Ahead of Palace’s 23/24 Premier League season opener at Sheffield United on Saturday (12th August, 15:00) – of which you can listen to live audio commentary on Palace TV+ - Hodgson spoke of his belief that Eze can look forward to another successful campaign.
The Palace manager said: “I thought he was very good last year. He looks good this year too! I can’t say I’ve seen a difference as such. This is a player who’s in the best years of his career, and the next three or four years of his career will be very important ones going forward.
“I would expect him, with his talent, to consistently improve and get stronger. With the England call-up, obviously that does a lot of good for his self-confidence and self-belief, because when you’re that type of attacking player, playing on very small margins, your confidence in yourself is a very important factor.
“I’ve certainly seen a very confident young man who’s come back, and I’m looking at a player who I think could have a remarkably good season.”
Hodgson did note, however, that Eze will not be the only player he will ask to shoulder Palace’s attacking burden this season.
“I don’t want to put that much pressure on him,” the manager confirmed.
“Certainly we think he and Michael [Olise] together are a very dangerous pairing, they complement each other, and they share a burden, but we also expect people like Odsonne Edouard to really step up and share the burden more, and not least of all Jeffrey Schlupp.
“If we can keep Jeffrey [Schlupp] fit and playing every week, there’s another player who’s an enormous attacking bonus for us. I don’t really want to suggest that our attacking play and chances now all depend on Eze, but I do expect him to take a lot of responsibility and I do expect him to shoulder any burdens that are there to shoulder. I know that he wants to do that.”
Hodgson also confirmed that, while he sees Eze as a versatile player, his greatest consideration will where best to deploy him to secure results.
The manager confirmed: “I don’t see him as a touchline winger [in that] I don’t see him as a player who never leaves the touchline and comes off with chalk on his boots – I don’t think he’s that kind of wide player – but he could certainly play as a wide player like Bernardo Silva, or Jack Grealish.
“But he can also play in a more central role as well. He’s more central than wide I guess, but I wouldn’t say he can’t play in wide positions, and I would think if he’s going to make something of his England career, he needs to be aware of that because it might be where Gareth Southgate wants to play him if he continues picking him.
“He can do it. We don’t have any problems in that respect. We know where he operates best, and that’s where we’ll be using him during the weeks to come.”