Chris Coleman heaped praise on Vincenzo Montella after the Italian forward booked Fulham’s place in the fifth round of the FA Cup with a clinical display against Stoke.
Montella, one of the signings of the January transfer window, scored one and made another to end the Championship side’s hopes of an upset. He grabbed his fourth goal in five games by turning home Tomasz Radzinski’s cross to open the scoring on eleven minutes and then set up a second for Brian McBride with a beautiful through ball.
Coleman said afterwards he was delighted with how the on-loan Roma striker has settled in at Craven Cottage.
“I hear he’s going around watching all the London shows but as long as he’s scoring goals like that he can do what he likes. He has been the perfect professional since he arrived here. He couldn’t speak a word of English when he arrived but now it’s very good. So much so that I wouldn’t be surprised if he could conduct an interview in English. He’s worked hard on that side of things. A lot of players join and don’t learn the lingo. He’s only here for a few months but he’s really made the effort.
But even I am surprised at how quickly Vincenzo has adapted. I expected him to score a few goals for us but I didn’t expect him to come on the scene as well as he has. Now he needs a little more fitness before he can complete the 90 minutes. He’s really small but he’s full of muscle and his awareness, his anticipation and his calmness in front of goal are top drawer.
Radzinski was also raving about the ‘Little Aeroplane’ following the final whistle.
“Montella is such a great outlet. He’s always there when you need him. Even if his goal was just a tap-in, he is there to score and goals change games. Once he speaks better English he’s going to be fun. He’s a good guy. In the two weeks here he’s adapted pretty well. There have been lots of jokes going around about his Italian accent but he’s just a funny guy. Getting him is a real coup for us.”
