Fulham under-21 captain Matt Dibley-Dias has signed a new four-year contract this afternoon.

The teenager, who was announced as the winner of the Fulham Supporters’ Trust’s Johnny Haynes Trophy for academy player of the year last week, has been a star for Fulham’s under-21 side over the past eighteen months and his emergence into the first-team squad saw Marco Silva put the classy playmaker on the bench for the final game of last term at Manchester United and this season’s opening Premier League fixture against Everton.

Dibley-Dias, who has been at Fulham since he was fourteen, told the club’s website:

“It’s an honour to extend my stay here. It’s been a long journey with ups and downs but I’m really happy to be here for another four years. Since joining from Brentford I’ve felt as if I’m at home here, because I’ve been here for a large part of my life now so it feels good to continue my journey at Fulham. There were a lot of factors and thoughts put into the decision. I was shown a plan for the next steps in my career and I feel like for my development this is the best place to be, so now I just want to kick on.”

Huw Jennings, Fulham’s head of football development, added:

“We are delighted to announce Matt’s new contract signing. He has shown excellent promise since joining the academy at 14 years of age. Along with a number of other academy graduates, Matt has signed a long-term deal which will enable him to establish himself in the first team environment, having made the squad a few times already.”