Fosu-Mensah should take Odoi’s place at the heart of Fulham’s defence

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Claudio Ranieri was brought to Fulham to engineer defensive improvement, without which the club were destined to make a swift return to the Championship.

The Italian has belatedly done exactly that; switching to a five-man defensive style, which protected by two holding midfielders and aided by the no-frills style that has replaced Slavisa Jokanovic’s passing approach.

Their first two clean sheets of the season have followed, and Fulham at least have a foundation on which a survival bid can be made.

But further improvements are needed and one player who has struggled slightly to get to grips with the standard required in the top flight is Denis Odoi; a hugely popular player, who was a key part of last season’s promotion campaign.

He is currently playing as part of a central defensive trio, but that role looks tailor made from Timothy Fosu-Mensah, who can play at both centre half and right back.

He struggled under Jokanovic – but so did the entire defence – and Ranieri should give him a second chance because of his superior athleticism and one v one defending.

The Dutchman has great potential and on his best form, he would be a better bet than Odoi, who was at fault for Wolves’ equalising goal at Craven Cottage on Boxing Day.