Marco Silva confirmed after Fulham’s dismal derby defeat to Brentford that Aleksandar Mitrovic will be joining Al-Hilal – and said the Serbian striker forced his exit from Craven Cottage.

The Fulham head coach told his post-match press conference:

“He was not in the squad list because he got injured in the last game. About his future, he’s on his way to leave the club. I got information before the match and now the confirmation from the club after the match that he’s on his way to leave the club. Both clubs have got an agreement.

He forced everything to leave the club. He wanted to leave. Until the moment that we got a financial agreement, it was up to the club to decide. I don’t know [about the precise fee] and even if I knew, financial stuff is not for me to comment about.

If you ask me is it normal? No. Should football players behave in this way? No. Easy answer. He forced it, but I’m not saying if I’m disappointed in him. Everything of my opinion I told him myself in private. We want four or five players to sign before the finish of the market. We are going to do our best [to replace Mitrovic]. We have to find the right player. If not, we are going to face the Premier League with the players we have here. We have to invest.”