Scott Parker hints that we may see something we haven’t seen for 301 days at Fulham

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By the time Saturday rolls around it will have been 301 days since Terence Kongolo’s last appearance for Fulham, but it seems as though he’s finally back fit to play for the Whites.

The Dutch defender picked up a nasty injury in early 2020 that saw his loan spell with the Whites cut short, but after re-signing on a permanent deal and suffering multiple injury setbacks, he’s finally fit to play.

Scott Parker finally gave a fitness update during his pre-Manchester City press conference that didn’t have bad news about Kongolo.

“No fresh injuries. Kenny Tete won’t be ready this weekend, it’s still a little bit too early. Other than that, everyone else is fit,” Parker said.

Kongolo is finally able to make his first Fulham appearance in 301 days on Saturday, but will he play against Pep Guardiola’s side?

It’s hard to imagine that Parker will want to unsettle the side that performed so well against Leicester, especially as it looks as though he has finally found a settled defensive partnership with Joachim Andersen and Tosin Adarabioyo.

Andersen was actually handed the captain’s armband against the Foxes on Monday, while Adarabioyo has been ever-present since coming into the side against Sheffield United in late October.

However, there may still be a route for Kongolo to get a game on Saturday.

Parker often likes to throw on an extra defender to shut up shop if his side is leading late on, and against Manchester City, Parker may want to do that even if he’s on track for a point.

Kongolo is a versatile defender, in that he can play at left-back as well as at centre-back, and he’s a much more defensive option on that left side than the attack-minded Antonee Robinson.

If Kongolo is to appear against City, it may well be as a substitute coming on late for Robinson.

There would be an element of irony if Kongolo does make his re-debut against City as his first ever appearance for the Whites was against Guardiola’s side in the FA Cup back in January.