Fulham manager Martin Jol has insisted that Derek Boateng has been left out in recent weeks purely for tactical reasons.
Boateng started in Fulham's win over Sunderland on the opening day of the Premier League season, but has not featured since.
Jol left the Ghana international out of his 18-man squad to face Chelsea last weekend, but is adamant that Boateng was omitted because he wanted more versatile options on the bench.
He told the Fulham Chronicle: "On the bench I have to make decisions, like can they play in different positions?
"Derek wasn't even in the 18 for the last game. He didn't play for a year and it showed. He was good in the first hour [at Sunderland] and then he dropped a bit."
The 30-year-old had been a long-term target for Jol before signing on a free transfer in May.
