Aleksandar Mitrovic has heaped praise upon Marco Silva for helping him find ‘the form of his life’.
The Fulham striker has scored 22 goals in 22 appearances for the Whites this season and sent Serbia to the World Cup finals with a last minute winner in Portugal. Speaking to Sky Sports, Mitrovic identified Silva – who took over from Scott Parker at Craven Cottage this summer – as the key reason for why his form has turned around so sensationally.
“I think the main reason is the manager. I have a freedom to be in the game a lot more than I’m used to before. I’m not going to speak about the past or anything. He’s honest with me. For myself and for every player, they want the manager to be honest. We speak a lot about football but as well as about family things and life. He’s a guy who will always have time for you.”
Mitrovic agreed that this is the best spell of his career and feels perfectly in sync with the way that Fulham are trying to play.
“I think I’ve been in good form before as well, but if you compare the stats, I think I am in the form of my life. I don’t think I’ve ever felt as good as this on the pitch: when we have the ball, when we play, when we are moving, you know exactly what we need to do, you are moving automatically. I could say we could play with closed eyes.”
The 27 year-old, who signed a new long-term deal with Fulham in August, hinted at some of the behind-the-scenes drama that bedevilled one of his toughest years in football but feels all of those experiences have helped him become a better player.
It’s something that is hard to explain. It is one of the best moments in my football career for sure and one of the best moments of my life. What’s happened in one year, to be honest: from the worst moment in my career to the best moment in my career. I could really write a book about what has happened in that whole year since the penalty. What I’ve been through in a whole year – I didn’t play much, we get relegated, bad season, everything. Then the start of the season, amazing season so far with the club, amazing with the national team. As my dad always said, if everything is perfect, every day life would not be interesting. Sometimes you have to go through some tough periods and, after rain, the sun always comes. That’s life.
