Can Cyrus Christie bring international form back to Fulham?

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Fulham’s Cyrus Christie was named man of the match on Saturday night as Ireland and Denmark played out a goalless draw in Dublin.

Christie was utilised in a surprising central midfield position and, despite the new role, Christie drew plaudits and performed reasonably well for Martin O’Neill’s men. He troubled Kasper Schmeichel with a decent strike, added some dangerous deliveries, and injected pace into an otherwise pedestrian affair.

The Irish FA awarded him the man of the match accolade as a result, but the news would have come to a shock to Fulham supporters. Many singled out the Irishman as particularly culpable for last week’s 5-1 drubbing at the hands of Arsenal, as Christie was caught out constantly on his right side and failed to adapt to his wing-back role.

Perhaps O’Neill has discovered a new role for Christie that Slavisa Jokanovic might try at club level, but the thought of the Serbian playing Christie in a central midfield position seems outlandish.

Nevertheless, Christie clearly revealed his qualities while on international duty, and it is up to Jokanovic to attempt to coax the best out of the 26-year-old.

Although Fulham fans may be fed up with Christie’s poor performances in recent weeks, the Whites will be forced to play him due to Timothy Fosu-Mensah’s shoulder injury. Hopefully Christie can bring his Irish form back to the Premier League.