Fulham manager Marco Silva has hailed midfielder Alex Iwobi after he made his full debut against Norwich City yesterday.
The Portuguese manager spoke to the club’s official website after their 2-1 win in the EFL Cup.
Marco Silva rang the changes yesterday, giving plenty of players their first proper run out of the season.
Fode Ballo-Toure made his Fulham debut at left-back and showcased his attacking prowess with some adventurous runs.
Striker Carlos Vinicius was handed his first start of the season as well and tapped in at the back post to score Fulham’s first goal of the game.
That chance was put on a plate for him by Alex Iwobi who then scored a great goal at the other end for the Whites.
Silva hailed Iwobi’s impact on the night as Norwich simply couldn’t cope with the Nigerian international.
After arriving from Everton on deadline day, he’s already proven to be a useful addition to the squad.
His versatility will come in very handy, showcasing that yesterday as he rotated with Tom Cairney in the number eight and ten roles.
Silva hails Iwobi vs Norwich
Speaking after the match, Silva said: “Yes, it’s always good for a player when he scores, when he scores an important goal it’s always good.
“He knows how I want him to be around the other strikers or midfielders or our wingers to arrive in certain areas to score and it’s always good when you see a player like him to score goals.
“I know that it’s really important for him as well, I’m really pleased for him.”
Iwobi’s well-placed effort from just outside the box looked set to decide what had been a comfortable evening up to that point for Fulham.
However, a rare mistake from Joao Palhinha allowed Norwich to get a goal back on the counter thanks to Borja Sainz.
Marco Silva’s side eventually saw out the match against Norwich with Iwobi getting a full 90 minutes under his belt.
I think the 27-year-old deserves an opportunity to start on Monday against Chelsea, potentially in place of Andreas Pereira.
Splitting up the Palhinha and Harrison Reed pivot against a side with decent attacking potential despite their recent woes in front of goal would be a mistake.
However, Iwobi linked up well with Carlos Vinicius last night and the Brazilian has already shown in his Fulham career he loves a goal against our noisy neighbours.