Moussa Dembele close to comeback; West Brom duo optimistic ahead of weekend
Moussa Dembele, the Fulham defender is close to full fitness and is all set to make his return to first team action this weekend. The front man, who was signed by the London club in the summers for 5 million pounds, has been out of action after he was stretchered
off the ground in a Carling Cup match against Stoke City on 21st September 2010.
It was Andy Wilkinson who had made the tackle on him. Initially, there were fears that the Belgian International may have suffered a broken leg but later scans showed that it was not that serious. Fulham's manager, Mark Hughes deemed the challenge on Dembele
as ridiculous and dangerous.
Dembele ended up with a minor damage to his ankle ligament, and he is close to returning to action. The team’s medical officer said that Dembele is making good progress and may soon be able to play in a league game.
Dembele, while talking to Fulham’s official website said, "Now, it's alright. I've already trained three times with the group and I've had no pain, just if I shoot really hard, then I have a little bit. But, I think in the following days that will disappear.
I'm happy that the injury wasn't that serious."
Dembele added that the injury came for him at a wrong time as he had started to enjoy his time at Craven Cottage and was settling in well. He stated that English Premier League is quite different from other leagues, and the quick physical game needs some
time for a player to get used to. He hoped that he would not have to change his game much to fit into the English game, and is looking forward to helping Fulham achieve some big things, this season.
Dembele went on to say that he was recieved well by everyone at Fulham and was made to feel at home. This made it all the more easier for him to settle into the team and the surroundings at Craven Cottage. The Belgian International further added that Fulham
is a team with great potential and has a lot of ambition. The club's aspirations were something that persuaded him to come to Fulham. He was of the view that players in the team have been playing together for a while now and that is the reason why they are
such a good unit.
Last season saw Fulham’s incredible journey to the final of Europa League. According to Dembele, work ethic at the club is something that is crucial and he hopes to adapt the same style and work.
While talking about the manager, Mark Hughes; the front man said that Hughes always keeps a close eye on every aspect of the game and ever since he has taken over, he has made sure that he gets himself familiar with everything at the club.
Dembele said that ever since he came to the club he has heard about the managerial style of the former manager, Roy Hodgson and how much he had done for the club, but at the same time, there is also huge respect and admiration for the new boss.
Commenting on his overall experience of English game so far, the striker said that the fans of English game are different as they are always more involved with their beloved teams and also tend to have a better understanding of the game.
Meanwhile, two more players, who are hoping to recover in time to get back in action this weekend, are Peter Odemwingie and Jerome Thomas from West Brom.
Odemwingie was subject to a rash tackle 3 weeks ago when West Brom played Bolton, and Thomas ended up with a bad calf injury after the game against Arsenal 2 weeks ago.
West Brom's manager, Roberto Di Matteo believes that their next game against Manchester United would be a big challenge, and he may opt to bring back his players to strengthen the team. The manager would also have the option of recalling Marc-Antoine Fortune
while 2 more players for the same position -Simon Cox and Roman Bednar- may also be in consideration.
While commenting on the injured duo, Di Matgteo said that Peter and Jerome had been struggling, but in recent weeks they have shown signs of improvement. Nothing for sure can be said for now, but it may be a late decision on whether they would be in the
squad or not?
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