Hodgson heaps praise on old friend Trap’s ‘outstanding’ career

Ashley Cole and the overinflated importance of the captain’s armband may have dominated Roy Hodgson’s pre-match press conference ahead of tonight’s friendly with Ireland, but the England manager did have enough time to praise his ‘outstanding’ opposite number Giovanni Trapattoni.

The two know each other since the late 80s, when Hodgson’s Malmo met Trap’s Inter in the European Cup. And although the Italian has been under fire from some quarters in recent months following a clutch poor results, Hodgson spoke of his “enormous admiration” for Trap and his CV.

“Giovanni and I go back a long way, even before when I moved to Italy. It goes back to the Malmo-Inter matches in 1988 and 1989. I regard him as a man whom I’ve got enormous praised.