French defender Martin Djetou is ready to put his courage where his mouth is to help Fulham boss Jean Tigana through an injury and fatigue crisis – and hopefully into the quarter-finals of the FA Cup tonight.
Former Strasbourg and AS Monaco star Djetou, 28, is set to face First Division Burnley in a daunting fifth round replay at Turf Moor despite being carried off on a stretcher spitting blood in the Premiership clash with Tottenham on Monday.
Djetou, on loan to Gallic-flavoured Fulham from Italian club Parma until the end of the season, can currently hardly speak through a nasty gash in his mouth as well as having two badly chipped teeth. Fulham’s medical advisers have decided to let the swelling go down before he has expert dental treatment.
But Djetou was back in training yesterday, travelled north with the squad last night and is rated a good bet to start the match which will decide who visits outsiders Watford in the last eight.
Tigana, who had Djetou under his command at Monaco and moved in to sign him in the summer when he became available, said: “I don’t know if he will be able to play for sure but we are running out of players. I will need to assess them all before the match because this will our fourth game in 12 days and I’m worried about the players’ condition.”
Tigana, whose long-term future at Fulham remains in major doubt, has made it clear the crowded fixture-programme is not his idea.
Tonight will be their 48th competitive game of a season which started with an Intertoto Cup tie in early July. And Fulham supremo Mohammed Al Fayed will mop up a combined £820,000 in fees for allowing live television coverage of both tonight’s game and Monday’s match at Spurs.
