Fulham boss keen to ease Cairney back carefully

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Tom Cairney needs time before he can play back-to-back full games for Fulham, says boss Marco Silva.

The captain came back after nearly a year out with a knee injury to score against Cardiff and then played all 90 minutes against Nottingham Forest in the following game.

But he only got a cameo run-out in the 3-0 win over West Brom on Saturday.


It’s all part of the plan, Silva says, to make sure Cairney doesn’t take on too much too soon.

Silva explained: “Even if he made that unbelievable impact against Cardiff, and then a normal game against Forest, it was clear to me he couldn’t play 90 minutes after that, but it’s important for me to give him minutes.

“He’s not in his best physical condition. He knows that, I know that. But he’s a real important player for us, even if he can play just 45 or 50 minutes.

“Tom on the ball is high quality and gives us a little more balance.

“I think the international break will also be good to get him back to full fitness.”