Scott Parker issues Aleksander Mitrovic verdict ahead of Fulham’s clash with Bournemouth | OneFootball

Bournemouth manager Scott Parker has suggested that he is not surprised to see Aleksander Mitrovic once again be scoring goals in the Championship but insisted Fulham’s threat is more than just him.

Parker managed to get enough positive form out of Mitrovic during the 2019/20 season in the Championship to help get his Fulham side over the line in the promotion race. The Serbian forward fired home 26 goals in his 41 league appearances that campaign and played a major role in their success.

However, it has been reported that last season in the Premier League, Parker grew frustrated with Mitrovic’s inability to press more from the front and that led to him making the decision to decrease the number of starts the forward had. In total, the Serbia international made just 13 starts in the league last term scoring three goals.

that Parker and Mitrovic’s relationship was strained and it was even suggested that the forward could look to move on if he had remained in charge at Craven Cottage.

However, Parker made the switch to Bournemouth instead and Mitrovic has been in phenomenal form under Marco Silva. He has already fired home an impressive 21 goals in his 19 league appearances and looks well on course to break the Championship’s scoring record.

Speaking to Dorest Live ahead of his reunion with Fulham, Parker has suggested that he believes Mirtrovic’s form this season is not a surprise but he also insisted that there is more of a threat as well coming from all of their attacking options.

He said: “I think there’s threats all over the pitch. Obviously, Mitrovic has scored goals at this level and again this season in half the games, has got some numbers. But I think it is fair to say their threat is from set plays and of course all over the pitch, where there is a goal threat there.”

The verdict

It must be difficult for Parker to watch Mitrovic go on such an impressive run of form this season in the Championship because it will only have raised even more questions about his lack of game time last term. There will be many who feel that had the Serbian started more frequently in the Premier League last term then there might have been more chance for them to survive the drop.

However, Parker has more than shown that his approach to management and his style of play can yield positive results during his time at Bournemouth so far this term. He has taken the Cherries to the next level after they reached the play-offs last season and it looks like them and Fulham are on course to be the league’s top two this term.

Mitrovic has to be a player that Bournemouth put a lot of attention on when the top two meet on Friday night. The forward will be highly motivated to prove a point to Parker and therefore the Cherries’ defenders are going to have to be at their best to keep him quiet on the night. If they can do that then Parker might be able to get one over on his former employers and secure a huge result for his new club.