MX23RW : Thursday, November 14 16:03:07| >> :120:71906:71906:

Martin Jol explains Derek Boateng absence

Fulham boss Martin Jol insists that Derek Boateng's lack of versatility is the only thing keeping him out of his plans at the moment.

Fulham manager Martin Jol has insisted that Derek Boateng has been left out in recent weeks purely for tactical reasons.

Boateng started in Fulham's win over Sunderland on the opening day of the Premier League season, but has not featured since.

Jol left the Ghana international out of his 18-man squad to face Chelsea last weekend, but is adamant that Boateng was omitted because he wanted more versatile options on the bench.

He told the Fulham Chronicle: "On the bench I have to make decisions, like can they play in different positions?

"Derek wasn't even in the 18 for the last game. He didn't play for a year and it showed. He was good in the first hour [at Sunderland] and then he dropped a bit."

The 30-year-old had been a long-term target for Jol before signing on a free transfer in May.

ID:106757: cacheID:106757:1false2false3false:QQ:: from db desktop :LenBod:restore:1777:
Restore Data
Share this article now:
Darren Bent of Aston Villa celebrates after scoring during the Barclays Premier League match between Southampton and Aston Villa at St Mary's Stadium on September 22, 2012
Read Next:
What will Bent bring to Fulham?
>
rhs 2.0
Today's games header
Tables header RHS
TeamPWDLFAGDPTS
1Liverpool119112161528
2Manchester CityMan City117222213923
3Chelsea115422113819
4Arsenal115421812619
5Nottingham ForestNott'm Forest115421510519
6Brighton & Hove AlbionBrighton115421915419
7Fulham115331613318
8Newcastle UnitedNewcastle115331311218
9Aston Villa115331717018
10Tottenham HotspurSpurs1151523131016
11Brentford115152222016
12Bournemouth114341515015
13Manchester UnitedMan Utd114341212015
14West Ham UnitedWest Ham113351319-612
15Leicester CityLeicester112451421-710
16Everton112451017-710
17Ipswich TownIpswich111551222-108
18Crystal Palace11146815-77
19Wolverhampton WanderersWolves111371627-116
20Southampton11119721-144


Sports Mole provides in-depth previews and predictions for every match from the biggest leagues and competitions in world football.
Argentina's Lionel Messi kisses the World Cup trophy after collecting the Golden Ball award on December 18, 2022Sign up for our FREE daily preview newsletter direct to your inbox!