Nigeria and Fulham star Alex Iwobi. Copyright: xZacharyxLockexIMAGO
Fulham boss Marco Silva has provided an early injury update on Alex Iwobi after the Nigerian midfielder was forced off during their goalless draw against Brentford on Saturday, Soccernet.ng.
Iwobi, making his 318th Premier League appearance, started the game brightly but lasted just 43 minutes before pulling up with what looked like a hamstring injury and was replaced by fellow Nigerian Samuel Chukwueze.
The 29-year-old initially went down after chasing a loose ball in the 41st minute and although he was unable to continue, there was some relief as he managed to walk off the pitch without help.
Fulham clearly felt his absence and missed his creativity, as they struggled to find their rhythm in attack and failed to register a single shot on target at the Gtech Community Stadium, while Brentford had the better chances and were denied a win by the impressive Bernd Leno.
The result leaves them sitting 12th on the standings, although they are only three points behind the Bees in seventh place with only a few matches remaining this season.
Marco Silva delivers update on Alex Iwobi after Brentford draw
Speaking after the match, Marco Silva admitted that Iwobi’s injury might not be too serious as initially feared, although further scans would be required to determine the extent of the problem.
“First reaction I got from Alex – it’s not so bad, but in the next 24-48 hours, we will be more clear about it. A big impact when we lost him”, Silva said, per Jack Kelly.
The Fulham manager also stressed just how much his side missed the Nigerian’s influence once he went off in the first half.
“Second half, we dropped in the last 30 mins, we lost control. We lost a lot when we lost Alex. We lost duels. They were in more control, the save from Leno comes from a situation where we can’t lose the ball. Leno popped up & showed his quality”, Marco Silva added.
Fulham will now wait anxiously for scan results and will be hoping that the injury suffered by Iwobi is not too serious, especially as they aim to secure European qualification with only five matches left for them in the Premier League this season.