Fulham boss Marco Silva admits he's delighted with the current form of Tom Cairney.

The captain has fought his way back into the starting XI this month.

Silva said: "In four games, he's started three. He's been crucial for our last few great performances.

“He's been a vital player for me since I joined. In the first season for a long time he had a bad injury in his knee. Last season, our three players in the midfield line gelled together so well — Joao [Palhinha], Harrison [Reed] and Andreas [Pereira]. It was really difficult for someone to come in and start any games in the Premier League.

“This season, he's working hard again to get his chance. He played against Wolves because he showed to me in the weeks before that he was ready.

“His is a top player, [with] the quality and calmness that he can give. If he can be more complete in all these scenarios, he's going to be even more crucial for us in the future. How many games will he start in the future? I'm going to decide."

Silva continued: “He deserves all these moments in the white shirt. We love him, that is clear, and I am really pleased for him. He is always ready to help the team, and when you have a player like him — coming in for 90 minutes and performing so well — of course I am so pleased with him.

“The last few games we have played with Joao, TC and Andreas. On the ball, I want him and Andreas to do more or less the same thing. Andreas is so crucial in his first pressure.

“With his [Cairney's] capacity to give us more calm in the build-up, how we are using him sometimes looks and seems that he is much deeper than Andreas. On the ball, he plays the same role as Andreas. Off the ball, he has to work with Joao and drop a little more."