Aina starring for Fulham is ‘Chelsea’s loss’, says Parker

Scott Parker reckons Chelsea’s loss is Fulham’s gain when it comes to Ola Aina.

The versatile defender has improved in leaps and bounds since he arrived on loan from Torino in September – but he was one of the many on the periphery during his time at Stamford Bridge.

Aina gets a chance to show his old masters what they’re missing when Fulham face Frank Lampard’s team on Saturday.

After all, his wonder strike in the 2-0 win over West Brom in November won him the Premier League goal of the month.

The Whites head coach has no doubt he was the winner when it comes to the 24-year-old.

“Chelsea’s loss? Yeah, definitely,” Parker said.

“Chelsea have got a riches of quality at their disposal, but we’re pleased to have him here.”

Parker believes attention to detail has paid dividends for the Nigeria international, who previously represented England at Under-21 level.

He explained: “His concentration has improved and we wanted him to brush up on his detail in his work – the care in his body shape and the care in his passing.

“He came to us from Italy and when he first came in he probably struggled a little bit with the intensity of the training and what was asked of him.

“But we knew his quality from being a young player at Chelsea and I think everyone is seeing that now.

“He’s very open-minded and willing to listen, and we’re seeing the rewards of that.”