Fulham midfielder, Tom Cairney has hailed Willian as the best footballer he has played with, and that he believes the only reason the Brazilian didn’t get his flowers while playing for Chelsea is because of Eden Hazard.

Willian spent seven years with Chelsea before he left to join Arsenal four years ago.

The 35-year-old however didn’t seem to fit in well with the Gunners, and was allowed to move to Corinthians in Brazil after a year, before returning to the Premier League with Fulham in 2022.

Since joining Chelsea’s West London rivals, Willian has shown himself to be an important player for Marco Silva’s side, and his teammate, Cairney has now praised him as an incredibly talented individual, despite his age.

He told BBC Sport’s The Players Channel: “He is the best player I have ever played with by a mile. His touch, his brain, the way he moves the ball, his decision making. I just can’t imagine what he was like to play with seven or eight years ago at Chelsea.

“And in my opinion he doesn’t get the recognition he deserves because Hazard was that good in the same team that people don’t talk about him in the way they should.

“Because Hazard was ridiculous but for four or five years Willian was one of the best players in the Premier League and he’s 35 now and still stops dead and shifts it and you can’t get near it, and he’s 35.”