Fulham manager Marco Silva has admitted that Cyrus Christie is now back in the club's plans after the defender featured against Leeds United on Tuesday.
The 44-year-old suggested that Christie did not have a future at Craven Cottage last month as he tried to offload him in the closing stages of the transfer window.
However, the Republic of Ireland international was unable to seal a move away from the club and made a surprise appearance for the Cottagers earlier this week.
Keen to prove his worth to Silva, Christie delivered an impressive performance in the League Cup as he helped his side keep a clean-sheet in their clash with Leeds who booked their place in the fourth round of the competition at the expense of Fulham by winning a penalty shoot-out.
With the Cottagers looking to get back to winning ways in the Championship this weekend in their showdown with Bristol City, it will be intriguing to see whether Christie is included in the match-day squad for the club's trip to Ashton Gate.
Making reference to the defender, Silva has admitted that he has now changed his mind regarding Christie's future.
Speaking to West London Sport ahead of tomorrow's clash with the Robins about the former Nottingham Forest man, the Fulham boss said: "If he was not in my plans he would not have started the (Leeds) game.
"We finished the (transfer) market and I decided to put him in the squad because we also had the injury to Kenny Tete.
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"Cyrus is working hard and showed me he deserved the shirt.
"That's football; it's unlucky for some, but it can be a shirt for others.
"One day your chance will come and you have to show your quality - and that goes for the others too."
The Verdict
With Kenny Tete set to be out of action for the foreseeable future due to injury, Fulham are relatively short of options at right-back and thus Silva's decision to give Christie another chance to showcase his talent for the club is a wise move.
During the club's clash with Leeds, the defender managed to complete 26 passes and make three clearances as he registered a WhoScored match rating of 7.02.
Whilst Christie may find it difficult to overtake Dennis Odoi in the pecking order due to the fact that his team-mate has started in the last four Championship games for the Cottagers, he is unquestionably a solid back-up option.
Providing that Fulham are able to seal all three points in their showdown with the Robins this weekend, they could use the momentum gained from this result to push on in the Championship under the guidance of Silva.