Tom Cairney scouting report

Fulham captain Tom Cairney has been the subject of many column inches in the papers and website over the past 24 hours.

Newcastle and Aston Villa were previously rumoured to be interested in Fulham’s star man with the London team reportedly turning down a £20m last summers from the Magpies.

Cairney was in the Leeds academy from the age of 7 up until he was released at 16 for being too small. Hull then signed him on a youth contract. He spent the next 2 years in the Hull City under-18s and broke his way into the first team the following year, winning Hull’s young player of the season in the 2008/09 season.

He made his first team debut in a 3-1 victory over Southend United in the League Cup, where he opened the score with a curling effort from range. He played his first Premier League game for Hull in a 2-2 draw against Wolverhampton Wanderers and scored his first Premier League goal in a 5-1 defeat to Everton, two months later. Hull were relegated that season, which benefitted Cairney in terms of playing for the first team more regularly. He made 23 appearances for the Tigers that season scoring one goal against Norwich City. The next season, he made 29 appearances and scored one goal.

In the 2012/13 season, he suffered a serious knee injury that ruled him out of action for three months after a “horror tackle,” from Middlesbrough left-back, James Husband in a League cup game against Doncaster United. He only managed 14 appearances that season, scoring one goal.

Despite being born in Nottingham, he’s eligible to play for Scotland as his father is Scottish, and did so at under-19 level on 2 occasions and under 21 level on 6 occasions during his time at Hull.

Blackburn then noticed on Hull City’s young up and coming talent and signed him on loan deal until January. After a successful loan spell with Rovers, he was signed on a permanent basis for an undisclosed fee. The fans voted him player of the season in his first year at the club. He made 40 appearances and scored on 6 occasions. The following year, he made 45 appearances and scored 3 times for Rovers.

Fulham signed Cairney, for a reported £3 million, was to help them build on their fight for promotion back to the Premier League.

Cairney went into the Fulham fans’ good books with some very good performances throughout the 2015/2016, scoring 8 goals and making 6 assists in 39 appearances. He spent most of the season on the right side of a midfield four, even though he prefers playing in the middle of a midfield three.

Cairney has been the centre of Fulham’s success. He’s managed 13 goals and 10 assists from 51 appearances last season and has a pass success rate of 93%. Not only are his passing statistics impressive, but his calmness on the ball, being able to thread a pass through the oppositions’ defence and his ability to create a chance out of nothing have also been noticeable attributes of the midfielder. This season he has made 15 appearances with one goal and three goals,

His performances attracted Scotland national team manager, Gordon Strachan, who has attended numerous Fulham matches and he has been rewarded with one appearance for Scotland with one assist to his name.

Based on a Scouting report by Football League Scout