Why Marco Silva must make risky decision and start hardly-seen player vs Aston Villa
Fulham have received a significant boost ahead of their meeting with Aston Villa on Sunday.
Marco Silva‘s side currently sit eighth in the Premier League table, having won two of their opening five games.
Whilst the Whites have only lost one game in the league this season, the West London side have looked flat for much of the 2025-26 campaign.
Fulham failed to beat Man United and Brighton despite being in the ascendancy for the majority of those two clashes.
However, a summer signing has added a spark of life to the Whites, and despite some recent injury troubles, Silva must make sure he plays a part in Sunday, 28 September’s clash with Aston Villa.
Kevin in contention for Aston Villa clash after shoulder injury
Kevin joined Fulham on deadline day from Shakhtar Donetsk, and Silva took his time in introducing the club’s record signing.
In a 14-minute cameo against Leeds, the 22-year-old showed exactly why the Cottagers were so keen to get their hands on the former Brazil Under-20 international.
Kevin‘s first order of business was to pick up the ball and drive at Jayden Bogle relentlessly, and it was the winger’s speculative shot from distance that resulted in the corner that Gabriel Gudmundsson headed into his own net, giving the Whites a 1-0 win.
But the 22-year-old suffered a setback in Fulham‘s recent 1-0 win over Cambridge, suffering a shoulder injury in the Carabao Cup clash.
However, Silva revealed in his press conference on 26 September that the winger had been back in training and is in contention to feature against Villa.
Fulham missing creativity and goal-scoring threat without record signing
Whilst Silva will undoubtedly be keen on protecting Fulham’s most expensive player ever from further injuries, without him, the Whites simply lack any sort of attacking threat.
Rodrigo Muniz was heavily linked with a move to Leeds in the summer, and although keeping him has been a massive boost for the Cottagers, the lack of service has left the Brazilian striker feeding off scraps.
In Kevin’s brief stint against Leeds, the winger created one chance and completed two out of three dribbles.
And against Cambridge, the stats were the same, one chance created and two completed dribbles, as the former Palmeiras man showcased a budding partnership with Emile Smith Rowe, the goal-scorer in that victory.
Villa find themselves in a dire position to begin the season, sitting 18th without a win, and if Fulham are to harbour serious plans of competing in Europe soon, capitalising on the Midlands club’s recent downfall is a must.
However, that also means that Silva must stray from the cautious team selections he has fielded to begin the season and take the risk of starting his rising star at Villa Park.