Fulham of England’s coach, Marco Silva has charged his players to step up against Newcastle United on Wednesday, so that they will not feel the absences of Alex Iwobi, Calvin Bassey and Samuel Chukwueze, Sports247 reports.
READ ALSO: AFCON 2025: De Legacy Sports Supporters Club Extends Its Reach With Media Partners
The Cottagers will not have Iwobi, Bassey and Chukwueze for the Carabao Cup quarter-finals’ away fixture, as they are now in the Super Eagles’ AFCON 2025 camp, but Silva insists other players should fill in for the absent trio.
The gaffer added that it would have been better if the London-based club had bought other players during the transfer window, but they will now just have to make do with those who are available.
Heading into the clash on Tyneside, Silva is without three of his key players and the tactician reasoned that the club’s technical egg heads should have made the team better prepared to deal with such departures.
“If you lose three players, it’s tough, but we knew that from last July. When we signed Chukwueze, we knew it, we should have been prepared for that situation. We have to face the competitions with the players we have,” Silva pointed out.
Chukwueze’s absence, in particular, comes at a point he was starting to hit form, and Silva admitted he is wary of becoming too reliant on African players.
