Far from being a problematic position for Fulham last season, as some doom-mongers were predicting, the leftback spot was one of the most competitive areas in the side. The arrival of Jerome Bonnissel provided Chris Coleman with an experienced, high quality defender. And although his presence was missed after suffering an ankle injury – two understudies in Carlos Bocanegra and Adam Green were willing and able to fill the gap.
Without doubt, one of the major positives to be taken from last season was the sudden emergence of Green from Fulham’s Academy system. After a promising First Team debut against Wigan in the Carling Cup, the young leftback was thrown into the thick of the action with appearances against Middlesbrough, Leeds, Everton and two matches against Manchester United within the space of a week.
Impressively, his performances didn’t go unnoticed by the opposition as both Juninho and Paul Scholes were first to offer Green their congratulations after Fulham’s matches with Middlesbrough and United. Yet for all the recognition the young fullback is now receiving he, quite remarkably, has never represented England at any level.
Not that his lack of international honours thus far serves as a great source of disappointment. Green maintains that his primary aim is improving himself as a player and establishing a regular first team spot – anything above and beyond is just a bonus.
“I want to be looking at playing more regularly for the first team or maybe go out on loan to a First Division club,” Green told fulhamfc.com. “You learn more playing competitive games and that’s my main target next season.
“I came in and played seven games last year and enjoyed every one of them. I thought the Carling Cup games would give me the chance to get involved with the first team, but we got knocked out of that quite early.”
Understandably, Green cites the FA Cup match against Manchester United as the main highlight of his season. Turning out in front of 67,000 supporters only a few games into his Fulham career was certainly a different experience to performing in front of a handful of people for the reserves.
“In a Reserve game you can make a mistake and the opposition might be less likely to capitalise on it. But if you switch off for a couple of seconds against a team like Manchester United – you can lose your man and get your team in real trouble,” he explained.
“Sometimes you play against top class players in the reserves but only when they’re coming back from injury. In those situations it’s more about fitness for them and they don’t really want to get into any hard tackles or anything.
“I’ve come away from a lot of First Team games with headaches – you’re thinking non-stop about where you should be, concentrating on your touch and making sure you don’t give the ball away.”
That thoughtful approach certainly forms a fundamental aspect of his game. As a defender who more often wins possession through intelligent positioning and reading of the game – his style belies his tender years. Yet there is an attacking aspect to his game that not many Fulham fans have yet seen.
“I watch players like Ashley Cole and Wayne Bridge,” Green said. “I’m quite keen on the way that Bridge plays and I try to watch a lot of his games. I like to get up and down the flank and deliver crosses – and hopefully I’ll be able to do a bit more of that next season.”
With Green still eligible for England’s Under-21 side, few people will begrudge giving him the opportunity to show what he can really do in the forthcoming campaign.
