Maik Taylor has revealed he may leave
Fulham in the summer because he wants to play regular first-team football.
Taylor has been demoted to second choice since the arrival of Dutch international
Edwin van der Sar in the summer and the Northern Ireland goalkeeper has
been restricted to just two starts this season.
Taylor, 30, penned a new four-year contract when van der Sar was signed
and he agreed with coach Jean Tigana then that he would stick it out for
at least a season.
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Maik Taylor might leave in the summer
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T hree months on Taylor knows his chances of first-team football are unlikely
to improve and that it may be time to move on in the summer.
"I signed a new four-year contract in the summer just after van der
Sar signed," he said. "The manager gave me his word that at the
end of the season if nothing has changed we will sit down and talk again.
"He made it clear to me that he needs a big squad at least for this
season. "The fact that I've signed a new deal is good for the family
and that, but the bottom line is I'm not playing and he accepts that.
"He has asked me to give him a good year and then we will sit down
and talk again at the end of the season.
"That might mean looking for another challenge somewhere else, but
we will see when the time comes."
Taylor is working as hard as ever in training with Fulham, but ultimately
he knows it is going to be extremely difficult to depose a goalkeeper
of van der Sar's ability.
"There's no question he's a world-class goalkeeper and we're not talking
about any old goalkeeper here," he said. "I've got to be realistic
and I'm not going to play unless he gets injured really because he's that
good. "He might make the odd clanger but that's not going to be sufficient
for the manager to leave him out.
"As a goalkeeper, if you play badly over a period of time then it might
be time for a change, but he's that good he's not going to play poorly week
in week out. "He might make a clanger, but generally he's very, very
consistent and it just isn't going to happen."
Taylor was speaking after captaining Northern Ireland in their 2-1 friendly
win over Macclesfield at Moss Rose and he claimed it was good to get a
game.
He remains Irish manager Sammy McIlroy's number one, but he admits it
is frustrating not playing for Fulham.
"It was good to get another run-out here and it helps keep me sharp,"
he said. "It is frustrating not playing. You train every day of the
week and then you don't have the carrot at the end of the week because you
know you're not playing. "The lads have had a couple of great results
- two wins on the bounce - and although I am part of it, it's difficult
to really feel part of it."