Martin Jol has backed Pajtim Kasami to make an impact at Fulham next season.
The Swiss starlet has made just three Premier League starts since joining the Whites from Palermo last summer, and hasn’t featured at all since the FA Cup win against Charlton back in January.
Kasami is way down the pecking order at Craven Cottage, but boss Jol says the talented teenager still has a part to play in SW6.
“Kasami will be a very good player for us,” said the Dutchman.
“If you look at his specific qualities, he should play in the position where Moussa Dembele is playing, or Bryan Ruiz, as an offensive midfielder.
“It was not easy for him to get into the team but at the start of the season I involved him quite a lot.
“However, over the last couple of months, without all these games in Europe and the Carling Cup, I played probably my strongest team. It was difficult for him to get a game.”
Jol has introduced a crop of youngsters to Fulham’s first-team squad this season, with Kasami, Kerim Frei, Marcello Trotta and Alex Kacaniklic all given game time.
But the Whites chief has challenged his young guns to cement regular places in his side next campaign.
He added: “They have shown me they have some appetite and are eager to be involved, and that’s a good thing.
“But our youngsters have to be better than the other players.”