Fulham manager Jean Tigana insists the best of Fulham's UEFA Cup hero Steed Malbranque is still to come.
The Cottagers were trailing 1-0 to Dinamo Zagreb in this second-round, second-leg clash at Loftus Road on Thursday night when the 22-year-old French midfielder came off the bench for the last 25 minutes.
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He transformed the match, scoring one and setting up the second as Tigana's men mounted a magnificent late charge to clinch a 2-1 victory and comfortable 5-1 aggregate success.
Tigana saluted Malbranque, a player he has already tipped to break into the French national team this season.
Explaining his decision to leave the £4.5million former Lyon man on the bench, the boss said: "I wanted to protect Steed as he has played 24 games this season.
"So I gave Junichi Inamoto and Lee Clark a match. It was a good game to use those players.
"I wanted to keep Steed on the bench - but when they scored, I decided to change it. He's a good player but can still progress and give more.
"He's one of my best signings, but not only him, also Alain Goma and Louis Saha."
Tigana is fully focused on halting his side's desperate run of four league defeats on the spin at Birmingham on Sunday.
He revealed: "Sunday's game is the priority and I won't even be watching the UEFA Cup draw tomorrow."
Fulham's late, late show stretched their unbeaten European run, through the Intertoto Cup and UEFA Cup, to a dozen games.
Villa manager Graeme Taylor and assistant Stuart Gray were in the Loftus Road directors' box - alongside former Republic of Ireland boss Mick McCarthy and England assistant coach Tord Grip - to check on their player.