Scoring goals has been a problem for Fulham so far this season, with the Cottagers having managed just seven goals in their opening eight Premier League fixtures.
This suggests that Scott Parker’s side are really lacking some creativity in midfield, as well as someone who can take the strain off Aleksandar Mitrovic, with the Serbian having contributed two of those seven goals in the top-flight.
Fortunately for the West London club, they have an academy talent in Tyrese Francois, whose performances for the U23s in recent seasons suggest that he is more than ready to make his mark in the Fulham first-team.
The 20-year-old midfielder has grabbed two goals and one assist in just two appearances for the U23 side so far this season and is clearly pushing for a promotion to the first-team, having made his second appearance for the club – a 19-minute cameo after a 10-minute one in the same competition last term – earlier this season in the 2-0 win against Sheffield Wednesday in the Carabao Cup.
Francois’ debut came in a 1-0 defeat against Southampton in the same competition early last season, suggesting that he has been pushing for a first-team spot for some time now, and Parker must be well aware of his talent.
Following the win against Sheffield Wednesday, the Fulham manager was full of praise for Francois and fellow youngster Fabio Carvalho, saying:
“I thought they were brilliant. They did really well, to be fair.
“They’ve trained really well with us over the last few weeks. I thought they were positive when they came on and they created a few chances as well, so I was really pleased for those boys.
“Tyrese and Fabio, two very good football players who I’m sure will have a bright future here.” (per FTBL)
Therefore, Francois is clearly knocking on the door for Parker’s side and considering their lack of creativity this season, it might be worth giving him a chance in the first-team.
His Fulham profile suggests that he is “not the most physical, however, [he] makes up for it with excellent technical ability and skill. He has a lot of pace on and off the ball and is very alert in and out of possession” which sounds exactly like the sort of player the Cottagers might need right now.
The post Scott Parker must consider giving Tyrese Francois a chance in his first-team first appeared on FootballFanCast.com.
