Marco Silva clarifies Fulham opinion on Jay Stansfield’s future

Despite video footage of kites being flown in training, Cottagers manager maintains the team is not ‘on the beach’.

Marco Silva has confirmed that striker Jay Stansfield will remain with Fulham next season following his loan spell at Birmingham City this season.

The England Under-21 international was unable to prevent Birmingham’s relegation from the Championship, but he impressed by scoring 13 goals in all competitions for the Midlands club.

Stansfield, 21, spent last season on loan with Exeter City, where he scored nine League One goals. This prompted a number of loan approaches from Championship clubs this summer, notably Queens Park Rangers, as Standard Sport reported at the time.

“He’ll be back with us,” Silva said of Stanfield. “Everything we planned, with the exception of the communal aim of Birmingham, which we did not want, was a box [ticked].

“He played in League One [with Exeter City] the previous season, and to be able to take a step forward in the Championship and be a crucial element in the attack-line while also scoring important goals was satisfying. Jay completed all of the important tasks.

“Now is the moment for him to come back and be one of the players in our attacking line for next season.”

Meanwhile, Silva said a social media video of some Fulham players flying kites does not suggest his club is mentally “on the beach” before the season ends.

Mid-table Fulham have little to play for this season, and a video posted on Raul Jimenez’s Instagram account featuring Willian, Andreas Pereira, and Rodrigo Muniz flying kites at the club’s Motspur Park training field went viral this week.

Arsenal fans, whose title hopes are dependent on Fulham’s victory over Manchester City on Saturday, were anxious about the Cottagers’ preparation for the game.

However, the kite-flying occurred after training and on the squad’s days off this week, and Silva was upset when asked about it.

“They had one moment [after training]”, he said. “There isn’t even a case to discuss.

“We are going to perform our job as we have done so far this season. We are going to do everything we can to win points for ourselves, not to benefit anyone.

“I have been asked, as we say in England, if the players would be ‘on the beach’ or not. This is not the case. If [my players] are a little comfortable, I am the first to apply some pressure to them.”

Fulham are fit for the City encounter, with the exception of Sasa Lukic, who suffered an injury in training.

“Sasa Lukic is going to be removed from the squad list,” Silva stated. “All the others will be available. There was a minor problem with his calf. I think he’ll be ready soon. “We don’t take risks.”