Freddie Ladapo: Crystal Palace manager does not know much about this Nigerian striker in his club

Palace manager Hodgson does not know much about Nigerian striker Freddie Ladapo who plays at his club.

Imagine being in a club and the manager does not know you, that’s what is happening to Nigerian-born Freddie Ladapo right now.

Ladapo has been at Crystal Palace since 2016 without any senior appearance for the club but his manager Roy Hodgson does not know much about him. 

He is in line to get his debut in Palace’s trip to Manchester United on Saturday, September 30.

Crystal Palace are having a crisis in their striking department following the injury to Christian Benteke, Ruben Loftus-Cheek and James Tomkins.

 

Available to Crystal Palace manager Hodgson is Nigerian striker Ladapo who he seems not to have enough knowledge of.

 

Hodgson has been the manager of Crystal Palace for just less than a month and he admits that he and his staff do not know much about the Nigerian player and does not know what to expect from him.

 

"Freddie Ladapo has been training with the first team for quite a while now,” Hodgson said about the striker.

"He's an unknown quantity, for me certainly, because I haven't had the chance to see him in action at this sort of level.

"He hasn't played a lot of games for managers otherwise as well, so there's not a lot of information in the club as to how he would react.

 

"But in the current situation where we find ourselves, where we really don't have the cover or the backup for Christian Benteke, the fact he's training every day and he's a centre-forward puts him very much in the frame."

Ladapo started his professional career in Non-League where he had some sort of success before his move.

For Gray Athletic, he scored 14 goals in 26 games and got 13 for Margate in 19 games.

After joining Palace in the summer of 2016, he was sent on loan to League One side Oldham Athletic where he scored just two goals in 17 games.

 

He joined Shrewsbury Town on another loan move last season and scored four in 15 games.

Ahead of what might be his Premier League debut, Ladapo has been in fine form for the Under 23s netting two goals against Leeds United last week before scoring again this week against Bristol City.

Born in England to Nigerian parents, the powerful forward is eligible to represent either England or Nigeria at international level.

He got invited to the Flying Eagles camp ahead of the 2011 FIFA U-World Cup but did not make the final squad.