Alex Iwobi and manager Marco Silva during the Premier League match between Crystal Palace and Fulham FC at Selhurst Park. (Photo credit: imago)
Fulham coach Marco Silva has revealed that he substituted Super Eagles midfielder Alex Iwobi at half-time in their game against Leicester City on Saturday due to fitness issues, Soccernet.ng reports.
Iwobi has been in fine form for Fulham this season, contributing seven goals and three assists in 22 Premier League appearances. On Saturday, he kept his place in Fulham’s starting eleven against Leicester City at the King Power Stadium.
The Nigerian midfielder had a decent first half but was taken off at the break, sparking controversy. Eventually, his replacement, Adama Traore, became the game-changer. Fulham opened the scoring through Emile Smith Rowe in the 48th minute. Traore scored the second goal in the 68th minute to seal the Cottagers’ win.
Following their win, Fulham boss Silva explained that Iwobi was taken off at half-time as he was struggling with a knock.
“Iwobi was not substituted because of his performance. He had a difficult 24 hours before the game. In the morning, we assessed him, and he was okay to play. But there were doubts if he would have been able to play the full game. At half time, he was not feeling so well, and we decided to change him,” Silva said, per West London Sport.
Fulham’s next game is against Manchester United at Craven Cottage next week. This gives Iwobi six days to recover from his knock and return to action for the Cottagers. The Super Eagles star has a good injury record, so it is unlikely that he will be sidelined for a long time.