Joachim Andersen is confident that Fulham can survive in the Premier League this season – and the Danish defender’s main motivation comes from those who have already written his side off.

Former Liverpool defender Jamie Carragher – now a Sky Sports pundit – famously claimed on live television in October that he had ‘never been more certain of anything in his life’ than Scott Parker’s side being relegated. Andersen, whose arrival from Lyon on loan at the end of the summer transfer window has been one of the major reasons why the Whites are still in with a shot of another great escape, told the Sun that he thrives on proving the detractors wrong.

“I love when people are saying that we are going down because it fires me up. I want to show it’s not going to be the case. One week can change everything. We got seven points last week and we’re now three points behind Newcastle.

“There’s no need to stress. In football, you always get what you deserve. When we played like we did for months, at some point it had to turn. It’s such a big, big goal to keep this club in the Premier League and I feel that from every single player in the squad.”

Andersen, whose impact at Craven Cottage was so immediate that Parker quickly named him as skipper after injuries robbed him of club captain Tom Cairney and Aleksandar Mitrovic, has forged an impressive partnership with fellow summer signing Tosin Adarabioyo at the heart of a new-look, miserly Fulham defence.

“It’s not so often that a loan player is the captain of a club. Of course, it’s a huge honour and something I didn’t expect. It’s not something I’m unfamiliar with because in the youth teams for Denmark I was always the captain. I’m quite vocal and feel I have some good ideas on the pitch.

But it’s also about how I’m raised. I moved from my family at a young age. It helped me to mature and take care of myself. I also have a dad who expects a lot from me. He’s a leader in his work. It’s something I learnt from him.”

Andersen appears interested in making the move to Craven Cottage permanent at the end of his season-long loan.

“Yeah, of course. It’s early to say but I will not exclude anything. I’m open. I have to speak with Lyon about my situation there, so it’s a little bit difficult to say because I haven’t spoken to them. We need to see that in the summer.”