Fulham boss Marco Silva admitted Harry Wilson is doing everything he can to fight for a start after the Welshman scored his third goal of the week from off the bench in their 2-0 victory at 10-man Crystal Palace.
Wilson decided the Cottagers’ 2-1 win over Brentford with a second-half stoppage-time brace on Monday night, and scored his side’s second in the 83rd minute at Selhurst Park, where Emile Smith Rowe opened the scoring just before the break.
Alex Iwobi picked up the assist for Wilson’s strike, but according to his boss also presents one of the bigger obstacles in the way of the 27-year-old cracking the starting XI.
Silva said: “(Wilson) is doing the right things. He’s not doing anything wrong. He’s competing against very good players, too. Alex, for example, has been one of the best players so far this season, if not the best from the first day of the season.
“He’s been so, so brilliant. If I can play with 12 or 13 it’s going to be easier for me but I can’t. Adama (Traore) had a fantastic start of the season too, and right now is on the bench because Reiss Nelson is doing so well.
“Great competition between them is great for me and for the team as well. I know that Harry, like all the others, he wants to play from the start.
“I know him very well, I know his mood when he’s not playing, but the reality is that he has to be ready to help his team from the start, or if the manager decides a different way from the bench.
“That is his job, I’m here to take decisions, but he’s doing nothing wrong. When he’s going to be there he is going to be there because he deserves it.”
Oliver Glasner on Friday confirmed Eddie Nketiah (hamstring) was the latest to join a growing list of injured Palace players, while Will Hughes was unavailable, serving a suspension after picking up five yellow cards.
It was an error by Maxence Lacroix that led to the opener, then Daichi Kamada added to his boss’ frustrations with a studs-up challenge to see himself issued a straight red in the 76th minute before Wilson added the Cottagers’ cushion.
Glasner’s side continue to hover just above the relegation zone with seven points, the Fulham defeat snapping a three-game undefeated streak across their Premier League and Carabao Cup campaigns.
“I think it’s the first game this season, maybe, where we deserved to lose the game,” he said.
“We have to accept it, and I don’t look for an excuse that we missed some players. I think the team that played today could have done better in many situations.
“We could see some players looked a little bit tired, but not just physically tired.
“They were a little bit mentally tired, and this is what we have to get back: the freshness, the sharpness, and of course the other players [from injury].”
