SERIOUS CHANCE TO MAKE IT AGAIN

Silva says Jean Michael still has a Fulham future

v Fulham 7.45pm

FULHAM manager Marco Silva has insisted that forgotten man Jean Michael Seri could still have a future at Craven Cottage.

The Ivory Coast midfielder (above), who cost the club £25million in

July 2018, had not started a League game for Fulham since April

2019 until Saturday.

The former Nice midfielder has been farmed out on loan by Fulham to Turkish club Galatasaray and then Bordeaux in France in the last two years, and returned to the club this summer with most expecting him to be sold. But now the 30-year-old is back and in contention.

He has figured extensively for the Cottagers in preseason, he was on the bench for the opening game with Middlesbrough and he started – and played an impressive 86 minutes at the weekend – in the 5-1 thrashing of Huddersfield. Silva (left) is reportedly a fan of the midfielder, having spotted Seri playing for Pacos de Ferreira in Portugal in the early stages of his career. There is still a chance that Seri, who has featured only 36 times for the Cottagers in the three years since his arrival so far, could be moved on before the transfer window shuts on August 31. But Silva, whose side take on Millwall at the Den tonight, said: “I cannot speak about what has happened before I got here. Seri is in our plans. He started the pre-season well. He has not played so much in the last two seasons week in week out, so he is not used to playing.

“But a new manager comes in and he has done well in training and really well in the pre-season matches and he deserves a chance to make his position in the team.

“He did well last week and I decided to start with him on Saturday because he deserved it.

“He prepared himself well. Now he needs more games to get himself in better physical condition.

“The most important thing is that he is getting his chance.

“I hope that we can see more from him, and if he can perform well it will be good for us as a football club.”