Slavisa Jokanovic Tells Fulham Starlet to 'Focus on Homework' and Forget First Team Dreams for Now

Fulham manager Slavisa Jokanovic has attempted to keep 15-year-old Harvey Elliott's feet on the ground after his first-team debut this week, telling him to focus on his homework after he became the club's youngest ever player on Tuesday. 

The Serbian manager has quashed any chances of Elliott becoming a first-team regular this season, the Times quoting him saying in his pre-match press conference: “I don’t want anybody to be confused about this situation. Now he must be thinking about homework and I’ll try and find a space for working with him. It’s better talking less about it because we expect in a few years he’ll be a really important player for Fulham."

He continued: "There’s a long way in front of him for improvement, we gave him a chance to test himself, and that’s it. It’s better, especially for him, that he’s focused on daily work and daily life, and what’s ahead of him.”

Jokanovic explained that he and his team have been monitoring the progress of Elliott, but played down the significance of his short cameo appearance in the Carabao Cup match. 

“We’d observed him and believe the kid’s strong enough and shows enough personality to not be under any pressure. He showed quality on the field and personality. I don’t believe he made a mistake. I don’t want to talk about big benefits for the player - it was only ten minutes in his life."

Whilst Fulham supporters may have to wait some time to see Elliott become a first-team regular at Craven Cottage, his manager emphasised that they will keep working with the youngster, adding: "There’s going to be more important afternoons for him in a Fulham shirt.”