Claudio Ranieri wants Aleksandar Mitrovic to fire Fulham to safety

Claudio Ranieri wants Aleksandar Mitrovic to fire Fulham to safety by scoring another 10 Premier League goals this season, even if it means big clubs come calling in the summer.

Mitrovic joined the Cottagers a year ago Thursday and it was his double which saw them come from 2-0 down to win 4-2 against Brighton in midweek.

That took him to 10 goals this season and Ranieri wants the 24-year-old Serbian striker to lead Fulham to victory on Saturday against relegation rivals Crystal Palace too.

'I hope he can score another 10 goals from here until the end of the season and some good teams bring him,' Ranieri said. 'I hope, 10, 15 goals.

'He is a very good champion. Only 24 years old! His ambition, he trains very well. In England, if strikers don't fight, they don't score.

'Every striker has these qualities and Mitro holds the ball very well, defends very well, in the air is good, he's a good target man because he can move the ball on the floor.'

Ryan Babel is also set to start against Palace, with Ranieri pleasantly pleased by how the 32-year-old has become an instant leader since signing from Besiktas.

'For me, he's a leader,' Ranieri said. 'When you see him in the training session, he was speaking to a player who was 18 years old and saying, "You have to do this, you have to do this". It's fantastic.

'That means he is involved in this project. It's not only for himself. I want a positive man. If you are a leader, you think about everything. You don't think only for yourself.

'This is important. When we asked if he wanted to come, he said, "Yes! I want!" I said, "Oh, fantastic!" I want a player who wants to come.'