Fulham manager Marco Silva is prepared to give striker Aleksandar Mitrovic a chance in their Premier League opener against Everton on Saturday.
The Portuguese manager stated that they had rejected offers from Saudi Arabia for the Serbian striker.
However, he stated that while Willian had interest from the Saudi Pro League, they never received an official offer.
Fulham have had a difficult pre-season campaign. Saudi interest unsettled Mitrovic, Willian and Silva.
Key first-team players Joao Palhinha, Tim Ream and Andreas Pereira also suffered injuries.
Despite the challenges, Silva said he is confident of Mitrovic’s commitment and declared that the player is ready to stay.
When asked if Mitrovic is available for the Everton clash, he said (via Fulham’s official website): “I’m 100% sure.”
The former Hull City manager said the striker had played two games behind closed doors and the player is working normally with his teammates.
He also stated that Pereira and Ream got minutes in those games, signalling they are at least close to being ready for competitive action.
Silva added: “I will not hide from you that one offer that he received made him think, made him probably take some type of decisions.
“About not playing one more minute for Fulham, he never said [that] to anyone inside this football club. If this is what the press said or what his relatives said, I am not sure.
“For me and for the club, he never mentioned that. Never.
“But okay, people can say what they want. It was a situation where he had a clear offer from a club, a very good offer for him, and sometimes it’s not easy for them to keep the focus, even if you want them to keep the focus.
“Since he started to work with his teammates again, on the pitch again, he’s been the Mitrovic that I know.”
The manager also urged Fulham to sign more players to bolster the squad ahead of next season.
