 |
| Manor Solomon of Fulham looks on during the Emirates FA Cup Fifth Round match between Fulham and Leeds United at Craven Cottage on February 28, 2023 in London, England. |
Fulham boss Marco Silva says he is ready to fight to keep in-form winger Manor Solomon at Craven Cottage this summer.
The Israeli international capped a dream return from a dreadful knee injury by curling in an excellent effort against Leeds in the FA Cup on Tuesday night – his fourth such strike in as many games – sparking speculation that other sides could seek to exploit the uncertainty around the FIFA regulations that govern the 23 year-old’s registration to sign him at the end of the season.
But Silva, who has been credited by Solomon as one of the principle why the precocious talent chose to join the Whites in the first place, told his pre-match press conference that he is confident Fulham will be an attractive destination – although he insisted he was concentrating on picking up three points at Brentford on Monday.
“We have to be ready, not to lose him, but we have to be ready for the competition in the market if it appears. It was a decision we made as a club. Now we have to be ready to face it. Simple as that. In that moment we tried to sign him permanently. For many reasons, which is not important to talk about now, it was not possible.
It can’t be a drama for us. We knew from the first day what can happen. We tried. I tried my best to sign him permanently in that moment. And now, it is what it is. It is not something which is our focus right now. It’s not for me or Manor to take care of this situation. We are focused on the next game.”
The Portuguese head coach praised the prodigious talent for his impact since recovering from a bad knee injury right at the start of his Fulham career.
“He has been really important for us, he has been the decisive player for the last few weeks. Willian and Bobby Decordova-Reid play that position [as well for me] – they have been playing really well too.”
