Claudio Ranieri hails Fulham striker as one of Europe’s best

Fulham manager Claudio Ranieri has hailed Aleksandar Mitrovic as one of Europe’s best strikers after helping the Cottagers register a 3-2 win over Southampton over the weekend. Ranieri recently took over the reins from Slavisa Jokanovic after Fulham went without a point for six-straight league matches but he has since sorted them with a much-needed triumph.

Speaking after Fulham’s second league win of the season, Ranieri was pleased with the performance brought forward by the team and he reserved special praise for Mitrovic, who scored a goal in either half including the match-winner following the hour mark of the Saturday afternoon encounter. Ranieri said: “For me, Mitrovic is one of the best strikers in Europe. When I say in Europe, I say all the world. He’s only 24 years old, he’s a fantastic player, and it is important to give the ball to him.”

Mitrovic showed his keen eye for goal during the backend of the previous campaign where he was instrumental towards guiding the team to the Premier League. He started the current season in the same vein of form with five goals by September but he has had to wait for nearly another two months before finding the scoresheet against the Saints.

As such, the Serbian has yet to show the consistency which could take him to the next level and it remains to be seen whether he can continue with the same level of performance during the hectic schedule ahead where the Cottagers could potentially break free from the drop zone. Despite the victory, Fulham remain at the rock bottom of the standings after Huddersfield Town leapfrogged them with a rather surprise 2-0 win at Wolverhampton Wanderers.

Next up, the Cottagers are scheduled to tackle London rivals Chelsea on the road and anything less than a defeat could be considered as a good result despite the Blues’ recent winless streak.