Aleksandar Mitrovic faces a club-v-country row after getting called up for Serbia’s World Cup squad despite being ruled out of Fulham ’s final Premier League game.
Serbia's record goalscorer will miss Manchester United ’s visit to Craven Cottage on Sunday with a nagging foot injury he suffered in September. Mitrovic revealed last month he is in a “lot of pain” and playing with the help of painkillers.
Whites boss Marco Silva has denied reports in Serbia that his team’s talisman had broken two bones in his foot. But the Portuguese, who said Mitrovic wants to go to Qatar, claimed his World Cup was in doubt before talks next week between Fulham and Serbia next week.
“We have to wait and decide between our medical staff and the medical staff of Serbia,” said Silva. “The injury is to his bone but it is not broken.
“It is not important what I prefer. My preference in this situation will not make any difference because I will not make the decision in this situation.”
The crunch will come if Fulham claim top-scorer Mitrovic, who has scored nine of their 23 goals this season, decide the player is not fit and he insists on playing.
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“It is another difficult question for me because you are supposing something that will happen,” Silva added. “Mitro wants to play in the World Cup. Mitro wanted to play against Manchester United, he wanted to play against Manchester City last week as well. You have to wait for a decision from our medical staff and the Serbian Federation and then we will make a decision.”
Mitrovic, 28, first suffered the bone injury on international duty in September and he has played only five matches since. The Fulham star, who has scored 50 goals in 76 games for Serbia, missed the decisive penalty in the Euro 20202 shootout with Scotland in November 2020. But a year later he scored the last-minute winner against Portugal to send Serbia to Qatar.
Dragan Stojkovic's side play five-time champions Brazil in their opening group game on November 24. Asked about Fulham stars playing in Qatar, Silva cast further doubt over Mitrovic by saying: “It is important for us. We have got six who are going to the World Cup. Six or five, let’s see what will happen.”
