Entering Monday’s game against West Brom with just one point to their name, Fulham desperately needed a win, and a win they got.
The Cottagers, managed by Scott Parker, picked up all three points in a 2-0 win, a game during which Mario Lemina, a starter, had to come off at half time.
The Gabon international was one of the many recruits arriving at Craven Cottage over the summer, with the newly promoted club paying Southampton around £2m for a year long loan.
Replaced by Harrison Reed for the second half, the 27-year-old was feared to have picked up an injury, but it appears it was more of a scare than anything.
This is what Patrice Neveu, the manager of the Gabon national team, let L’Union know ahead of the upcoming international break.
He said: “A few minutes after he came off, I called Lemina to find out why, and that’s when he told me he felt some pain in his thigh. Agreeing with the manager, they decided to take him off as a precautionary measure. On Tuesday, he got a muscle scan that didn’t show anything.
“Following that, the medical staff have started doing muscle treatment for him to play against West Ham. He told me on Wednesday that he did some stretches without feeling any pain, but we’re still cautious”.
For Neveu, Lemina’s presence in the Gabon squad all comes down to whether or not he features at the weekend for Fulham.
Should he not start against West Ham, he ‘strongly doubts Fulham will free him’, as they won’t want him aggravating his injury during the international break if they can avoid it.
