Ryan Sessegnon will sit out some Fulham games, says Slavisa Jokanovic
Thursday 30 August 2018 23:51, UK
Fulham boss Slavisa Jokanovic has warned Ryan Sessegnon he might have to get used to not playing every game.
The 18-year-old was named on the bench as the Cottagers broke their Premier League duck against Burnley last week, having started the first two games of the season.
He was a key player in Fulham's promotion from the Sky Bet Championship last season, but a summer influx of 12 players has seen Jokanovic build a strong squad.
And the Serb says Sessegnon does not need to play every game.
"Ryan Sessegnon is 18 years old with around 100 games in professional football," he said ahead of Saturday's trip to Brighton.
"I made a decision, he does not need to play all of the games, nobody needs to play all of them.
"He is in the same process as the team, his potential is huge - 100 per cent he will be an important player for us this season.
"If he doesn't play a game or doesn't start a game it is not tragic news.
"He is working hard, he pushes forward and he will be an important part of our Premier League team."
With so many signings in the summer - Fulham made five on transfer deadline day alone - Jokanovic's intention is to cultivate a competitive environment at Craven Cottage.
"This is good news for me, good news for Fulham and good news for the players," he said.
"They need to push themselves harder. I have tried to make it some kind of a competition in my team, they need to compete first of all with each other for the opportunity to compete with the opposition team.
"I believe this is healthy for the team and players. It is my job to make the choice which is best for the game ahead of us. I will choose what I believe is the best option."
That will not include skipper Tom Cairney, who is set for a number of weeks on the sideline.
Jokanovic added: "Tom Cairney is going to be unavailable for the Brighton game.
"He has a foot injury and we still need to assess him but it is our expectation that he will be unavailable for a few weeks.
"We must assess him, he is going to be out for a few weeks. Yes, this is a big loss for us."
