Hughes hoping for Dembele boost

Fulham manager Mark Hughes is banking on Moussa Dembele to help the London club fill the gap left by injured striker Bobby Zamora.

England international Zamora was ruled out for four months after breaking his ankle in last weekend 2-1 Premier League victory over Wolves, sealed by Dembele’s injury-time free-kick.

Belgian forward Dembele, a five million pounds pre-season signing from Dutch side AZ Alkmaar, is now one of Fulham’s main strikers with Zamora out and Andy Johnson several weeks away from returning to action following a knee injury.

“We hope Moussa can get the goals – there’s a big onus on him now that Bobby’s gone,” said Hughes.

“But it’s a big ask, you can’t just hang a hat on Moussa,” the former Manchester United and Wales striker added.

“He’ll get good support from the guys around him and that will help him become the success we think he will be.

“The beauty of Moussa is that he can play in a number of positions.

“That’s the attraction from my point of view because I like players who have that flexibility.”