Stagnate – to cease developing; becoming inactive or dull.
That is exactly what happened to Jaïro Riedewald under Roy Hodgson.
The Crystal Palace No.44 was presumably sold all sorts of dreams about life in SE25 after his manager at Ajax, Frank de Boer, brought him to England.
However, his fellow Dutchman lasted just 77 days in the job, before Hodgson – a man who surely wouldn’t have signed Riedewald – took over.
Predictably, Hodgson didn’t fancy the £55,000-a-week man.
In fact, the 74-year-old didn’t even hand Riedewald a single second of Premier League football in the 2018/19 season, with no documentation of any injury whatsoever.
The Dutchman started to get a look in last season, but even then, many footballers would’ve been long out of the door had they received similar treatment.
Crystal Palace fans will tell you that, whenever Riedewald looked like he was finding some rhythm, Hodgson would randomly drop him once one of his favourites became available again.
It must’ve been tiring for the Ajax academy graduate, and oh so demoralising.
However, he kept going, never threw a tantrum, always remained professional, and he has now thrived under Patrick Vieira in pre-season, following a strong finish to the 2021/22 campaign.
Just by watching the club’s behind-the-scenes content too, it’s evident that Riedewald is a popular figure who oozes charisma.
Hopefully, Vieira instils a bit more faith in the silky Dutchman than Hodgson did – his exceptional attitude deserves such reward.
At 24, Riedewald is yet to enter his prime years, so a few solid campaigns under the Frenchman could result in us having a true gem on our hands in a couple of seasons.
With so much to be excited about this term, Riedewald’s fresh start is among the most enticing things to follow at Crystal Palace.
