Jokanovic hails Fulham hero Hyndman

Boss Slavisa Jokanovic predicted Emerson Hyndman would grow into an important player for Fulham after the American celebrated his 20th birthday with an injury-time winner against Cardiff.

Hyndman’s late goal, coming after Scott Parker’s equaliser, earned the Whites their third league win in a row – something they last achieved in March 2012.

Having been brought in to the side after Tom Cairney’s injury in midweek, Hyndman impressed Jokanovic – who admitted he regretted not being able to use him more often.

He said: “He’s probably one of the more talented players. I am a little bit disappointed with myself because I didn’t find the time to give him more minutes, for different reasons, this season.

“He has quality with the ball. He probably needs to be a little bit stronger to play in the Championship, which is a tough competition.

“He is a young guy and I believe in the future he can be very important for us.”

Jokanovic insisted Fulham’s focus would remain on securing the five points they need, at most, to guarantee survival.

And he was pleased with the second-half performance which turned a 1-0 half-time deficit into a 2-1 victory.

He added: “In the first 45 minutes we didn’t be aggressive enough, we didn’t be brave enough.

“In the second half we decided to press higher and start to play with the football.

“We created many chances in the end and got the goal for the three points.”