Hodgson should be aware of Maja as he could ease Crystal Palace’s scoring woes

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After Roy Hodgson watched his side toil badly to see off ten-man League Two outfit Grimsby Town in the FA Cup third round on Saturday, he must surely be searching for a proven goalscorer in the January transfer window.

The former England manager was reportedly interested in Dominic Solanke but he moved to Bournemouth but those goalscoring woes were in full view on Saturday as they needed a late Jordan Ayew winner to secure a 1-0 victory over Michael Jolley’s side.

But when Hodgson was asked about young Sunderland hitman Josh Maja, his response was slightly perplexing; he claimed he was unaware of the sought-after striker.

He said: “I have never heard of him, sorry. I don’t follow Sunderland and he has not been mentioned to me. It is not my job to scout ­players. If you asked our scouting department or our head of scouting… he would tell you ­chapter and verse on him. But nobody has mentioned him to me, and I don’t spend my time watching Sunderland play.”

It should not be ruled out that Hodgson’s response is a bluff – but that doesn’t seem his style – and it is slightly surprising that he is not aware of such a promising young player, who could well help add goals to his Palace side at a reasonable price.

If Palace cannot or will not spend big on a prolific frontman, then the likes of Maja are worth a gamble this month – which makes Hodgson’s admission all the more baffling.