Fulham forward Adel Taarabt has hit out at claims his best days are over, insisting he has nothing to prove in terms of his Premier League credentials.
The attacking midfielder, who moved to Craven Cottage on a season-long loan deal from Queens Park Rangers, has come under criticism from former manager Neil Warnock.
Warnock, who coached Taarabt at Loftus Road, believes the Moroccan’s time in the English top flight is limited following his recent downturn.
The flamboyant playmaker flourished under Warnock but has failed to excel to the same heights with successors Mark Hughes and Harry Redknapp at QPR.
However Taarabt, who is only 24, claims he already has the backing of Fulham boss Martin Jol and believes he can shine under the Dutch manager’s guidance.
“I do not have anything to prove because I’ve proved to people what I can do already,” Taarabt said.
“At the moment Neil is the only one who took me when I was shining all of the time. But it is no problem for me and I can do it under Martin because he trusts me a lot.
“I have known Martin for a long time. He gave me my debut when I was 17 at Tottenham and he wanted me when he was at Ajax and Hamburg. He is a very good coach and a good guy.
“He brought me here and convinced the club to take me, so now I have got to repay him as quickly as possible.”
Taarabt made his first appearance in over a month during Fulham’s 4-3 Capital One Cup defeat to Leicester on Tuesday and is confident he can regain a place in Jol’s starting line-up.
Taarabt, who is doing extra training in a bid to improve his fitness, made his first appearance for more than a month in the Capital One Cup defeat at Leicester on Tuesday. The Moroccan is likely to be on the bench when Manchester United visit tomorrow but expects to be fully fit soon.
“It has been a month since I was fit, so to get through 90 minutes was positive because I did not think I would finish the game,” Taarabt added.
“It had been a long time. I felt good. It has been hard for me to get fit but now I have got to work even harder to get back in the team and show that I can bring something to the club.
“I have got to get my feeling back and my dribbling. I played it simple on Tuesday because I was not 100 per cent fit but I will be there soon.”
