Hodgson not backing on Inter support

12 April 2012

Roy Hodgson has thanked Inter Milan president Massimo Moratti for allowing him to take the Fulham job - but does not think the Italian will be so generous to lend the Londoners some players for their battle against relegation.

The 60-year-old is back in the Barclays Premier League for the first time in nine years, even though he had promised Moratti he would return for a third spell at Inter - this time in a behind-the-scenes role - once he had severed ties with the Finland national team.

Hodgson said: "I'm very grateful to Massimo Moratti for releasing me from a promise I made in 2006. He half understood it was easy for me to make that promise at the time with two years of the Finnish national team still in front of me."

He added: "He knows how much I love to work on the field and he wished me all the best and I hope to work with him at a later date.

"My relationship with him is still excellent and I know he will want the best for me and now for Fulham.

"But his major interest is winning matches for Inter and making certain they have all the players they need to win the Scudetta and the Champions League, so it is unlikely he will be lending us the quality of players.

"But if a player was available to go out on loan, then he would certainly look favourably on us."

Hodgson, who hails from south London, has just four months to make sure Fulham avoid the drop but insisted he would not walk away from the club if that happened.

He said: "My commitment to the club is as long-term as any football contract can be these days. I'm not naive, I'm not stupid, but I will do the job to the best of my ability until the club says otherwise."

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