EXCLUSIVE: Former Fulham ace Healy reckons the Whites could do with another McBride
By Alessandro Schiavone
David Healy believes that Fulham could do with a player of Brian McBride’s ilk to get them promoted from the Championship for a third consecutive time.
The prominent American striker was a cornerstone of Fulham’s teams between 2004 and 2008 as he struck 38 times in 152 outings, mainly playing as a deep-lying centre-forward and off the main striker.
Healy spearheaded Fulham’s frontline alongside McBride at Craven Cottage back in 2007/2008 and thinks that the American marksman would send the Fulham faithful into wonderland if he was still around.
When asked which player he would pick from his own side 14 years ago to strengthen Marco Silva’s current crop, the Northern Irishman picked none other than McBride, whose deadly sucker punches often bulldozed opponents.
“Personally, throughout my career I played with a lot of very good American players, even when I was at Rangers. Obviously [Carlos] Bocanegra was at Fulham and at Rangers”, said Healy, who is currently the head coach of Northern Ireland giants Linfield FC.
“All the Americans, one thing that they are is they play the way the train. They look after themselves and they are very professional. It's disrespectful to some of the old players that played there but if I had to put one player in the Fulham team at the minute it’s Brian McBride. He was a huge fan favourite.
“I had the pleasure of playing with Brian at Fulham and I had the pleasure of playing with Brian at Preston North End, in the early season when he first came over from the States before he signed for Everton.
“He was a fantastic professional, brilliant person on and off the pitch, a leader on and off the pitch. He could score goals with his head and create goals with his feet. Brian had a huge amount of ability.”
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