Fulham coach Marco Silva has expressed regret that Super Eagles star Samuel Chukwueze did not join the club earlier in the summer transfer window so he could have been part of their pre-season preparations, Soccernet.ng reports.
After a slow start to life at Craven Cottage, Chukwueze has picked up the pace and shown his quality.
The 26-year-old winger joined Fulham from AC Milan on transfer deadline day, but until two weeks ago, all his minutes had been from the bench.
He earned the Man of the Match award when he came off the bench to provide an assist in Fulham’s 1-0 win over Sunderland two weeks ago.
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That performance apparently made an impression on coach Silva, as Chukwueze got the nod to start against Tottenham at the Tottenham Hotspur Stadium in their Premier League clash on Saturday.
The Super Eagles star repaid Silva’s trust by producing another impressive showing for his club, supplying an assist to help them defeat Spurs 2-1.
Fulham vs Manchester City Next: Can Samuel Chukwueze Deliver?
After the win over Tottenham, Silva expressed his satisfaction with Chukwueze’s performance. Ahead of their game against Manchester City on Tuesday, the Portuguese tactician still had some nice words for Chukwueze.
“Very happy with him (Chukwueze), it was a matter of time, we need him in his best level, Performance wise and physically,” Silva said, per Jack Kelly.
“Second half was more difficult, but for the whole team as well. He had a very good impact in the game. I”m very pleased for him.”
The Cottagers have a tougher battle coming up, as Manchester City will definitely be tougher customers than Tottenham, and Chukwueze will surely feature.
Recall that Silva had complained earlier that the Super Eagles star’s slow start at the club was because he had not worked enough with his teammates.
Following Chukwueze’s impressive performances, Silva expressed his disappointment that the Super Eagles winger did not join the club earlier in the transfer window, preventing him from joining them for pre-season.
Judging from Silva’s comments, Chukwueze would probably have been a regular starter from the beginning of the campaign.
“The Nigerian boys create a great atmosphere for us. I would have preferred to have had Chukwueze earlier, in pre-season,” Silva added.
The Super Eagles star will be looking to continue shining for his club and push them higher up the Premier League table before he departs for the 2025 Africa Cup of Nations.