Fulham goalkeeper Bernd Leno has given a revealing interview to Kicker in his native Germany this morning – where he lavishes praise on head coach Marco Silva for turning the Whites into a top flight force.

The German international hailed Silva’s consistently high standards for getting the very best out of the newly-promoted side, who have surprised everyone with their strong performances in the Premier League this season – having been tipped to struggle again.

Leno told the German sports paper:

“We are very strong at home. We play very bravely, not like a promoted team or a supposed relegation candidate. No matter against whom, we play our game. Even in the last 0-1 [defeat] against Tottenham, we tried to play the game, which we managed to do for long stretches. We are unpredictable, sometimes we play long, sometimes short, and we are also very dangerous when it comes to standards. And in England, as we all know, anyone can beat anyone. Fulham play a strong pressing game.”

He is adamant that Silva has been able to unlock an extra gear from the squad.

“He gets the maximum out of the team. He knows the characteristics of the individual players and the whole team very well. He is really very, very demanding. In terms of tactics, in terms of mentality, in terms of cohesion. And he does that in every training session. Sometimes he gets upset about a bad pass, even if we’ve won three games before. And the players follow him. Everyone knows that if we do what he demands, we will be successful. That’s why we are where we are at the moment. His whole staff is also working very well. He is really doing a great job.”