Fulham fans look set to see a familiar face when they return to Craven Cottage as Luis Boa Morte is being lined up for a return to the club as part of Marco Silva's backroom staff, according to The Athletic's Peter Rutzler.

The Portuguese former winger joined the Cottagers initially on loan in 2000 from Southampton, scoring 18 times in their promotion campaign to the Premier League before signing on the dotted line permanently the following year.

Boa Morte, who earned 28 caps for his country, remained at the west London club until 2007 when he joined West Ham United, but he remains a cult hero at Craven Cottage for his performances over the years.

14 years later though and he's set to return as part of Silva's coaching team, having joined forces with the 43-year-old when he was manager of Everton before they both departed in December 2019.

Silva is in advanced talks with the Cottagers about becoming their new head coach and it looks like a deal is close to being done, and in turn Boa Morte will be arriving as well - you'd assume he will be second in command to Silva in the dugout.

The Verdict

With fans being divided over certain issues at the club such as Tony Khan's transfer dealings, the return of a real fan favourite should bring most supporters back together in unison.

Boa Morte was a much-loved player at Craven Cottage for many years - from the early days when he played alongside the likes of Louis Saha to being a key part of the Chris Coleman era.

Even though it's just as an assistant, Boa Morte's imminent return does plant the seeds for a potential managerial role down the line at Craven Cottage - it wouldn't be the first time that a manager gets sacked and his assistant or a coach at the club steps up to the plate.

That may already be in the minds of Fulham fans already but for now they can look forward to a duo of Silva and Boa Morte on the touchline as they look to bring some Portuguese flair back to the Cottagers.