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Fulham Morocco International defender Abdeslam
Ouaddou keen to make an impression
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Fulham defender Abdeslam Ouaddou has revealed he questioned why he moved to Fulham after
Jean Tigana froze him out of the first team for seven months.
The centre-back was handed his opportunity after Andy Melville was dropped.
Ouaddou, who arrived at Craven Cottage from French Second Division outfit
Nancy in August, admitted he started to question himself the longer he
languished in the reserves.
He said: "When you don't play for seven months, sometimes you ask
yourself questions. It was really difficult, but that's football.
"However, I have friends like (Hassan) Kachloul and (Moustapha)
Hadji. They were with me in the Morocco team and encouraged me to come
to England.
"It was difficult during those seven months, but they told me I
shouldn't get disheartened in England. They told me you have to work hard
and the manager will give you a chance - and then you have to take it.
"I expected to have my chance earlier than now. I had only been
playing in the reserves since I transferred, so I'm pleased to be on the
pitch now and I'm trying to do my best to perform for the team.
"It's a good time to be in the side because we're playing big teams.
It's time to show the manager what my possibilities are against these kind
of teams."
He said: 'For me it has always been one of the highlights, one of the occasions
which you had to watch. When there was a French interest of course it increased
the attraction for me.
'It was wonderful, so exciting, to watch Manchester United in the days when
Cantona was the icon. Even on television you could sense the excitement
of the crowd, the atmosphere such a competition would create.'