Kusi-Asare isn’t ready, says Fulham boss Silva

Marco Silva does not believe Jonah Kusi-Asare is ready for Premier League football.

The 18-year-old forward has made just one league appearance, as a late substitute against Newcastle last month, since joining Fulham on a season-long loan from Bayern Munich during the summer.

The deal is with a view to a permanent move, and Kusi-Asare is regarded as one for the future.

Fulham’s attacking options are currently limited, with Rodrigo Muniz sidelined by a hamstring injury, but boss Silva does not seem tempted to throw the youngster in.

Silva said: “When we signed him, clearly we saw certain things in him. He has some skills that are important in a striker.

“I know that he’s in a massive football club, but he didn’t play enough senior football before he joined our football club.

“When he first arrived, it was a moment for us to start to know him, to see what stage that he’s at right now.

“When you take decisions, you don’t take them because he’s a player A, B, C, or D, it’s because of the stage they compare to the others.

“I think you can take the conclusions of what I’m saying to you right now. If he’s not playing in this moment of the competition, it means that he’s not in a stage that he’s ready to go.”

Signing a forward looks like being a priority for Fulham when the transfer window reopens in January.

But Silva admits getting one is likely to be tricky.

“That position now isn’t going to be an easy market, I think, for all the clubs in general,” he said.