Chukwueze doesn’t know his teammates’ names — Fulham boss claims

Samuel Chukwueze’s arrival at Fulham has stirred excitement, but the Nigerian winger is yet to make his debut for the London side.

Manager Marco Silva has revealed the reason behind his absence against Leeds United, stressing that the player is still adjusting to life at Craven Cottage.

Chukwueze sealed a loan move from AC Milan on transfer deadline day, but his first week as a Fulham player was anything but settled.

Barely hours after signing, he flew back to Nigeria for international duty with the Super Eagles, leaving him with almost no time to integrate with his new squad.

By the time he returned to England on Wednesday, he had trained with his teammates for only two days before Fulham’s clash with Leeds. Unsurprisingly, Silva decided against rushing him into the matchday squad.

“It was impossible for Chukwueze to start, probably he doesn’t know all his teammates’ names,” the Portuguese coach explained, pointing out that the winger simply needs more time to adapt before being thrown into Premier League action.

Despite Chukwueze’s absence, Fulham ground out a 1-0 win over Leeds at Craven Cottage, keeping their solid start to the season intact.

For the 26-year-old winger, however, all eyes are now on next Saturday’s fixture against Brentford, where he is expected to be in contention after a full week of training with the squad.

The Super Eagles star faces stiff competition for places, but Fulham fans will be eager to see the explosive dribbler bring his flair to their attack.

With his loan spell seen as an audition for a potential permanent move, Chukwueze knows he will need to hit the ground running once he finally makes his long-awaited debut.