Fulham FC

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• Manager:Mark Hughes

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Coleman's happy with Zat

03 Nov 2006 - 14:20:19

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Fulham manager Chris Coleman hopes Zat Knight continues to concentrate on his club duties rather than representing England as it has made him a better player in recent weeks.

The 26-year-old was called in to Sven-Goran Eriksson's England squad 18 months ago for the tour of north America and played in the friendly victories against the USA and Colombia.

However, those are Knight's only two England caps and Coleman will be happy if that remains the case.

"The longer Zat Knight concentrates on playing for Fulham, the better," said the Welshman. "As soon as he starts thinking about England, he'll go off track.

"He has to do the simple things on the ball and he's been doing that and looking a very good player this season."

Knight has been club captain while Luis Boa Morte recovers from injury and is relishing the role.

He said: "It's a real honour to be captain and, although I'm only a stand-in for Luis, it's something I've always wanted to do.

"I feel I've matured a lot and am a leader, so if the chance ever arose to take the job full-time, I'd grab it with both hands."