Marco Silva insists Armando Broja must 'wait for his chance' at Fulham amid Rodrigo Muniz form

Striker yet to start since loan move from Chelsea
Broja has been an option off the bench for Fulham
Action Images via Reuters
Jonathan Gorrie22 February 2024

Marco Silva insists Armando Broja must “wait for his chance” at Fulham.

The Albania international, who joined the club on loan from Chelsea in the winter transfer window, has come off the bench twice and missed the Cottagers' 2-1 defeat to Aston Villa through illness.

Rodrigo Muniz, who has netted an impressive four goals in his last three games, has been rewarded with a string of starts and Silva called for new signing Broja to wait for his opportunity.

Speaking ahead of Fulham's Premier League clash with Manchester United on Saturday, Silva told a press conference: "He has to wait for his chance.

"We really believe he is the right guy to be here. He arrived on deadline day before the Burnley game and he had 20 minutes on the pitch but Rodrigo scored and then the game after Rodrigo scored twice.

In form: Muniz has impressed for Fulham of late
Action Images via Reuters

"Unfortunately for him, last week he was unwell and missed the match but now he is available and I will decide what the best solution will be to start the game.

"He's working hard at a different club with a different style and he needs time to adapt and understand things. It takes time but we can see his quality."

Rasmus Hojlund's brace during United's 2-1 victory over Luton on Sunday extended his scoring run to six straight matches.

Silva hailed the 21-year-old forward's talent, believing he has the ability to have an exciting future at Old Trafford.

"You can see the talent and the quality," Silva added. "Since he arrived you can see that he's a young striker and young players need time to adapt and understand the ideas.

"When they start to score they become more confident and I can see this in Hojlund. He is a really strong player when he attacks in behind and it's clear for me that he has the capacity to have a very good run while he is at Manchester United.

"Let's hope we can block and defend him well because he's a good player."

Joao Palhinha picked up his 10th yellow card of the season last Saturday and will miss Fulham's next two matches.

Silva admitted the midfielder is an important player to his team and that he is working with him to find a balance in the way he defends.

"He is a really important piece of our team and plays in an important position," Silva said.

"We don't want to take from Joao the aggressiveness which he plays with but at the same time we're working with him to get the balance in some situations."

Additional reporting from PA

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