Born: Carnoustie, Scotland, 4 November 1988
Position: Midfielder
International caps: 5
International goals: 0
Signed: 22 July 2016 from Wolverhampton Wanderers (£1.5m)
Fulham debut: Fulham 1-0 Newcastle United, 5 August 2016
Fulham appearances: 128
Fulham goals: 6
Honours: EFL Championship play-off winners (2018; 2020)
Sold: 1 July 2021 (released).
It is impossible to overstate the influence of Kevin McDonald on Fulham’s fortunes, initially under Slavisa Jokanovic, but also well beyond that point. The Dundee-born midfielder slotted seamlessly into the engine room after signing from Wolves in July 2016, making it looked as he if he played in the deep-lying defensive midfielder’s role for all of his career: rather than learning on the job under Jokanovic. McDonald formed part of an unstoppable trio in the middle of the park alongside his eventual international team-mate Tom Cairney and the former Celtic midfielder Stefan Jokanovic.
He was just as vital off the pitch as on it: a vocal leader in the dressing room, who often led the team talks ahead of Cairney. His achievements were all the more impressive as he struggled with kidney disease for pretty much the entirety of his playing career – the seriousness of his illness only disclosed towards the end of his time at Craven Cottage, when he went public about his need for a transplant. McDonald’s crowning glory was helping Fulham’s ten men win promotion at Wembley against Aston Villa in 2018, but he was a crucial part of the side that went up two years later as well. A firm favourite of the fans, the Scot is now back at the club working with Fulham’s under 21 side.
