Bryan Ruiz believes he could still have a future at Fulham, despite making little impact since joining the club during the summer of 2011.
The Costa Rica international signed for the Cottagers on the back of his impressive performances for FC Twente, for whom he helped win the Dutch league in 2010. During this memorable campaign, the forward topped the Eredivisie scoring charts with 24 goals, and he also hit a hat-trick within the space of five minutes against Sparta Rotterdam.
However, he has struggled to find his shooting boots since heading to England, scoring just five Premier League goals in 41 appearances. He has now returned to Holland having signed for PSV Eindhoven on loan in January, but he has indicated that he may be prepared to try again with his parent club, but only if they avoid relegation from the top-flight.
“Martin Jol, who signed me, was sacked and I asked his successor, Rene Meulensteen, if he still needed me,” he told Het Nieuwsblad. “I was thinking about the World Cup. I had to play, but Meulensteen made me feel as though I wasn’t part of his plans. I thought I could still help the team, but he had other thoughts – although I still rate him as a manager.
“Was Fulham the wrong choice? No. My first year was difficult but I played well in my second season. This season the whole team was struggling. I still think I am a player built for the Premier League. If you are fighting against relegation, sometimes you forget to play football. Then you get typical English football, which suits me less. It was the right decision to join PSV. After the World Cup I will weigh up my options. I don’t exclude a return to Fulham, as they can still save themselves. London is a fantastic city.”
Ruiz will be in the final 12 months of his contract during the summer, so if Fulham decide he does not feature in their plans for the future, then they will look to offload him when the window reopens. Having already scored four times for PSV, and assisted two more goals, there is every chance he will be offered the chance to make the move permanent.
