Bobby Zamora has paid tribute to Fulham boss Roy Hodgson after reaching the Europa League final.

Manchester United boss Sir Alex Ferguson claims Hodgson is a certainty to be named Manager of the Year following Fulham's "miraculous" march to the final.

Zamora paid tribute to Hodgson, who has transformed the club since he arrived in late December 2007 to save them from relegation.

"The manager is brilliant," Zamora declared.

"He always looks so calm, but his mind is working all the time.

"We are well-drilled in training and you can see that in our performances during the games. The character has been there all through the competition - we did it against Juventus, which all shows the spirit and desire we have in the squad.

"There is no point in playing all of these games if you are not going to give it your all."