Rodrigo Muniz says moving to Fulham earlier this year was ‘the best choice’ he could have made and has spoken about how much he is enjoying life at Craven Cottage.
The Brazilian striker has found first team chances limited by injury and the outstanding form of Aleksandar Mitrovic but, in an interview with renowned Brazilian journalist Vene Casagrande, Muniz revealed his special bond with head coach Marco Silva and how well he has already settled in London.
“Out of all the clubs that spoke to me, I chose the one that I think can help me the most in this moment of my career. Marco Silva is here, and his staff have been helping me a lot. The first team that contacted me and made an offer was Genk, and I was anxious to go. I wanted to play, and I was not going to get many chances to play much at Flamengo. Then Atletico Madrid contacted me. I remember that Filipe Luis came and talked to me. Al Nasr also contacted me and, actually, an employee talked to me about the advantages of playing Arabian football. When Fulham contacted me, and Marco Silva called me, after hearing everything he had to say, I chose Fulham.
After I signed with Fulham, Filipe Luis told me it was the best choice I could make. I can say that it was. Fulham’s project, for me, is amazing. I can tell by the way the management treat me. It is huge.”
Muniz has been consistent in his praise of Marco Silva and clearly values the input and influence of the Fulham head coach.
“He invited me to talk to him in person. He explained that for now he is going to put me on little by little to get experience and match-sharp. I notice that he pays special attention to me. That is important.”
He spoke candidly about some of the frustrations of his early time in England, his struggles learning the language and the disappointment of that penalty shoot-out miss against Leeds.
“I live with my wife here. The most difficult part for me has been the language, English. I have been taking private classes to learn as quickly as possible. The Fulham group has been very welcoming. I got injured during [one of] my first weeks here. Then on Tuesday [against Leeds] I was going to be in the starting squad, and I didn’t want to do anything wrong. I ended up playing. Then, during the penalty shoot-out, I missed and the team was eliminated. I cried a lot, but the entire team supported me. They really supported me. I’m not exaggerating. The captain sent me a message. I thought that was special.”
Muniz also disclosed that his major goal was to help Fulham return to the Premier League by the end of this season and that he hoped to face Manchester United next year.
