Fulham boss Slavisa Jokanovic attempted to draw a line under the Chris Martin saga after the on-loan Derby striker scored one and made one in his side’s win over Barnsley.
Martin was playing his first game for the Whites since Boxing Day, having been left out while he tried to engineer a return to his parent club in order to be closer to his family.
However, Fulham – who had consistently stated they would not allow the loan deal to be cut short – stood their ground and Jokanovic believes Martin will now see out the season at Craven Cottage.
“He’s a professional football player. He was a little bit confused and now he’s cleared his mind,” Jokanovic said.
“All the people know how this player is important for us, we were fighting to convince him to stay with us.
“In the last few days, Chris Martin was big news. But we have to forget this situation and start thinking simply about football.
“This is best for myself, this is best for Chris Martin, this is best for Fulham, it’s best for his family.
“He can improve his family [situation] only if he performs on the football pitch.”
Jokanovic was pleased with Martin’s display but was keen to praise his the team performance as they moved above Barnsley into eighth.
The Whites boss said: “He showed a great performance, we are happy because he is back.
“But I am proud of all my players – we played very good football, we created many things, we take our eighth clean sheet. This is more important news for us.”
This post was last modified on 20/01/2017