Jol ponders Tavares debut

Fulham manager Martin Jol hopes to hand new signing Mickael Tavares his debut in the coming months.

The Senegalese midfielder left Hamburg in the summer at the end of his contract having struggled to break into the first team in a three-year spell.

Tavares, who was signed by Jol while in charge of the Bundesliga side, joined Fulham on a free transfer after the close of the transfer window as cover for the then injured Mahamadou Diarra.

Jol now hopes to reward the 29-year-old with game time.

“Tavares was a back-up player for me for Diarra and Chris Baird,” Jol told the Fulham Chronicle.

“There was not the situation where I could bring in Tavares as well but hopefully he could be involved in the next couple of months.”

Tavares could yet find his opportunities limited though, with Fulham playing four of the top six in the next month.

He may have to wait until the busy Christmas period to make his first appearance for the Cottagers.