Fulham striker Diomansy Kamara shrugged off the uncertainty about his Fulham future after his first hat-trick in English football provided the perfect showcase for his talents.
Kamara took home the match ball after helping the Cottagers crush Peterborough 6-2 to reach the fourth round of the FA Cup, before admitting he had no idea whether he would still be at the club next season.
The 30-year-old’s contract expires in the summer and he is now free to sign a pre-contract agreement elsewhere, but he is relaxed about the prospect of running down his current deal at Craven Cottage.
“I’ve got a contract until the end of the season and at the moment, when I get my chance on the pitch, I’m always trying to do my best,” the former Senegal striker said.
“We’ll see what happens in the next few matches. This is not my problem, I’m just focused on Fulham. I’m not concerned that my contract is ending.”
Speculation about his future is nothing new for Kamara, whose Fulham career looked to be over when he joined Celtic on loan this time last year.
The summer departure of Roy Hodgson and arrival of Mark Hughes gave him the chance to impress a new manager.
Bobby Zamora’s broken leg and the prolonged absence of Andrew Johnson handed Kamara the opportunity but he managed only two goals in eight appearances under Hughes before finding himself out of the side.
Further injuries to Moussa Dembele and Johnson saw Kamara recalled for Tuesday night’s 3-0 Premier League win over former club West Brom and he staked his claim for a regular run in the side yesterday.
He added: “When one player doesn’t play, I never blame the manager. I need to work hard, go in the gym and work more, this is my philosophy.
“In February, I think Bobby Zamora is coming back and Moussa Dembele. We have other strikers coming back so the competition makes it better for us. Competition is good for the club.
“When you are player and you don’t play you are obviously a little bit frustrated but this is all part of the game.”
Saturday’s victory made it three wins in four games for a resurgent Fulham, who had ended 2010 marooned in the bottom three but are now 14th.
Kamara believes the turnaround is a reward for Fulham sticking to their principles.
“Everything is the same,” he said. “The new manager needs time to understand what he wants and what the team wants.
“The Premier League is also very hard. We played well and we drew a lot of matches. I think it’s very close in the league. We have a lot of quality and we need to keep going.
“If we keep doing what we are doing now, we can finish in mid-table.”
