Fulham boss Marco Silva has laid down the gauntlet to a previously struggling player.

The Portuguese head coach challenged Rodrigo Muniz to become the club's no.1 striker.

Muniz scored in a 3-1 Carabao Cup fourth round win against Ipswich Town last night.

"He is always a candidate and he had a very good pre-season," Silva said of Muniz, who spent 2022-2023 on loan at Middlesbrough.

"Unfortunately in the moment he was showing his quality, showing how he was growing, even if last season was tough for him, he had a muscle injury and it stop a little bit his development in the pre-season.

"He came back and had a very good game against Tottenham in the first Carabao Cup match we have and he is taking his chances. So, he is always a candidate like the others, like Raul (Jimenez) and Carlos Vinicius.

"They are fighting for the position, we don't have a number one, two or three. It is for me to decide for each game regarding the strategy and what I want from the game. It is up to them to show the quality they have and to show they are able to play.

"Rodrigo did really well. Let's see what is going to be my decision for the next match."