‘Top class player’ - Fulham boss heaps praise on first-team ace after Nottingham Forest win

Fulham boss Marco Silva has hailed Willian after their win over Nottingham Forest. The Brazilian winger opened the scoring for the Cottagers in the first-half in their 2-0 home victory over Steve Cooper’s side.

Manor Solomon then doubled their lead in the second-half and the Whites held on for another big three points. They are now 7th in the Premier League table and are just four points off 5th place Tottenham Hotspur.

Willian, 34, stood out again for Fulham and showed his quality with his goal. His side swooped to land him on a free transfer last summer and he has since become of their key players this term.

Silva has been impressed and has told the club website: “About Willian, I will repeat the same thing: he is a top class player and a great guy. He keeps playing with a smile on his face and keeps working hard every single day on the training ground.

“I know that he wants more and he knows that he always has myself behind him to demand from him and give him all the confidence for him to keep showing his quality.”

He added: “It’s really important for us to share goals and not have just one player to score goals. As you know, if you look to the past, my wingers normally score goals and have to arrive in certain areas to score goals.”

The former Chelsea and Arsenal man has so far chipped in with three goals and three assists in this campaign. His contract expires at the end of June but the club will no doubt seek to extend his stay.

In other news, Fulham’s deadline day signings Sasa Lukic and Cedric Soares made their debuts against Forest. The pair both came off the bench.