Marco Silva insisted that the reliable Antonee Robinson is going from strength to strength with Fulham.

Asked by a Sky Sports reporter during this afternoon’s pre-match press conference ahead of the derby against Chelsea on Sunday to comment on the American international’s outstanding season, the Portuguese head coach reminded the assembled press pack that Robinson was the leading left back in last term’s top flight too.

“Not just this season – even last season, Robinson was the full back with more assists in open play [than anyone else in the Premier League] … He was very, very strong [for] most of the season in our defensive process too. It shows how he is growing.

He is playing almost every single game – almost in all competitions and during the international break with the travel – it’s not been easy for him to manage the load. The reality is that is putting [in] all the effort to help the team always. [He is] a great professional, a great lad … he’s a very important player for us, let’s hope he can have a very good last six games.”