Marco Silva says Joao Palhinha will need the support of the Fulham fans after the Portuguese midfielder missed out on a move to Bayern Munich yesterday.

The Fulham head coach revealed that the former Sporting Lisbon man was not in the right frame of mind to play at the Etihad this afternoon having completed a medical in Munich and filmed his announcement video at Bayern Munich’s stadium – only for the transfer to fall through.

Silva told his post-match press conference after Fulham’s defeat at Manchester City this afternoon:

“It was a tough day for him, definitely, probably one of the toughest days of his life. He loves Fulham, he loves football, he loves to be with us. He had the fantastic season last season and he’s always a player that gives 100 per cent for the shirt but he had a big chance to go to one of the biggest clubs in the world and he was really close.

You can imagine the impact that has on a football player when these type of things happen. He is going to need support from all of us – the coaching staff, our fans and his team-mates.”