Fulham manager Slavisa Jokanovic has said leading English and European clubs want to sign Ryan Sessegnon but added that he was in the dark about the winger’s future.
Sessegnon, 17, has spearheaded Fulham’s push for automatic promotion from the Championship with 15 goals in 44 appearances despite playing more than half his matches at left-back.
The England under-21 international — mentioned as a possible wildcard for the senior squad at the World Cup — has been linked with Manchester United and Tottenham Hotspur, and Jokanovic said he was not certain what would happen.
“I don’t know, I cannot answer you. What I want, dependent on if we go up or don’t go up … I prefer that he stays with us,” he told a news conference ahead of Friday’s match against relegated Sunderland.
“This player shows a really high level, and it is normal that most important English or European clubs are interested in him.”
Jokanovic said Sessegnon had not been distracted by talk of a transfer or a World Cup call, with Fulham only a point behind second-placed Cardiff with two games left in the race for the Premier League.
He told Sky Sports the player’s age was irrelevant and he had not been courageous to select him for the first team.
“I’m a good observer and I’m not scared if someone is 16, 17, 18 or 35, 36 or 37 — I just try to use the best players I have to hand,” he said.
“I started using Ryan at 16 simply because he was our best option, that’s it. It’s just about what I see. Now he’s growing up and improving in front of us.”
Dan is ESPN FC’s Tottenham correspondent. Follow him on Twitter: @Dan_KP.
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