"The right decision is..." - Carlton Palmer warns Fulham against Birmingham City, Jay Stansfield call | OneFootball

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EFL pundit Carlton Palmer believes Fulham should not recall striker Jay Stansfield from Birmingham City in January.

Stansfield joined the Blues on loan this summer, and he has impressed at St Andrew's, scoring five goals in 12 appearances so far.

The 20-year-old was on the scoresheet once again the 2-2 home draw with Ipswich Town on Saturday, his second goal in as many games, and manager Wayne Rooney has no doubt about his importance to the team.

"He's a player who is really important to us but I don't think we can put all our expectations on him to play every game and be the one to score every week. When you get players in on loan you have to understand that. But he is an important player for us," Rooney told Birmingham Live.

However, Stansfield's excellent form has led to speculation that he could be recalled by Fulham in January, particularly considering the Cottagers' goalscoring problems.

Aleksandar Mitrovic departed Craven Cottage for Al Hilal this summer, and the club's strikers have struggled to replace his goals, with Bobby Decordova-Reid scoring twice and Carlos Vinicius netting once, while Raul Jimenez is yet to get on the scoresheet.

After picking up just one point from their first four games under Rooney, Birmingham currently sit 15th in the Championship table, six points from the play-off places, and they are back in action when they face Sunderland at the Stadium of Light on Saturday.

What did Carlton Palmer say?

Speaking exclusively to Football League World, Palmer urged Fulham to allow Stansfield to remain at Birmingham for the rest of the season.

"Fulham are on a disappointing run in the league at present," Palmer said.

"When that happens, there is always a conversation about players who have been sold or loaned out.

"The conversation is about the young centre-forward, Jay Stansfield, who was loaned out to Birmingham, should Fulham have loaned him out in the first place, and should Fulham recall him now?

"Given his form at Birmingham, the simple answer is Fulham loaned him out to get valuable game time and experience, you want to see what is happening now, that he is flourishing and doing well at Birmingham. "Had he stayed at Fulham, he would not be getting the minutes he needs to progress, so the right decision was to loan him out, and the right decision is not to recall him because he won't play regularly at present.

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Should Fulham recall Jay Stansfield from Birmingham City in January?

It is difficult to disagree with Palmer that Fulham should opt against recalling Stansfield.

The Cottagers have scored just nine goals in their first 11 league games, with Marco Silva rotating between Jimenez, Vinicius and Muniz, so it is easy to see why he would be tempted to bring Stansfield back.

But the striker is thriving on loan at Birmingham, and he is unlikely to be guaranteed a starting spot at Craven Cottage given the competition for places.

Stansfield is a player with a lot of potential, and a full season of regular football in the Championship will be hugely beneficial for him.