Fulham boss Marco Silva will be left scratching his head for most of the remaining Premier League season after the confirmed lengthy suspension of star Serbian striker Aleksandar Mitrović.
The 28-year-old frontman was given his marching orders in the Cottagers FA Cup loss against Manchester United at Old Trafford after he protested the sending off of both Willian and Silva in the hotly contested affair, before grabbing head match official Chris Kavanagh by the arm in an action that has been deemed violent and improper conduct.
BREAKING: Aleksandar Mitrovic has been banned for eight games for violent and improper conduct ⤵️ pic.twitter.com/tgFCWdV2gJ
— Sky Sports News (@SkySportsNews) April 4, 2023
As such, the former RSC Anderlecht standout has received an eight-match ban, with one having already been served at the weekend during the club’s 2-1 loss against Bournemouth on Saturday.
With a further seven matches to go before returning to full senior duties, that leaves just fixtures against Southampton, Crystal Palace, and Manchester United that he will be available to take part in.
During a season where Silva has guided Fulham to the brink of European football in 2023-24 as the capital side sits just four points outside of the top six, the loss of their league-leading goalscorer is a potential hammer blow to their ability to achieve their highest Premier League finish since 2008-09.
Silva tasked 28-year-old Carlos Vinícius to deputize in Mitrović’s stead against the Cherries at the weekend, and will likely be forced to do the same across the length of the Serbian’s suspension.
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