Earlier today, when we covered the long interview that Fulham midfielder João Palhinha gave to Portuguese newspaper A Bola, some quotes made it clear that the player has a great relationship with manager Marco Silva.
The 27-year-old explained the Whites’ boss had a big influence in his move this summer, claiming the coach had a ‘key role’ in the transfer and is now helping him adapt to English football.
It turns out that Marco Silva has also spoken with the Portuguese media this week. The Fulham manager was interviewed by Eleven Sports, and had a few things to say about Palhinha as well, saying he’s actually been demanding a lot of a player who has barely arrived in the Premier League.
“I am very satisfied with the adaptation he has had. I won’t say it has been faster than I expected, because João has characteristics that fit the Premier League style of play,” Marco Silva told Eleven Sports (via O Jogo).
Marco Silva obviously also had a few words about his job at Fulham this season. He explained he’s been encouraging the same mentality as they had in the Championship last season, and detailed their fight to keep the club in the Premier League.
“We have to play in our image. Last season we made a huge transformation at the club, we changed almost everything. I don’t just talk inside the field, also outside. And there are still some things to change and we are working on that. It makes no sense to change what we started to build last season because we’re in a different division. It was something I promised from the first hour. We have to adapt. Never change our ideas and philosophy, it’d be a mistake.
“We know what club we are and what squad we have, but we also know that we have great ambition. This is our future. Our objective is staying in the Premier League. We want to end what Fulham has been for the last few years: go up and then go down without even a fight.”
