Schwarzer concerned Hodgson may leave

Fulham goalkeeper Mark Schwarzer fears Roy Hodgson could be prised away from Craven Cottage over the summer.

Fulham are determined to keep the manager who has overseen the most successful spell in the club’s history by masterminding their highest top-flight finish and passage into the Europa League final.

Hodgson, who agreed a 12-month rolling contract last December, has indicated he intends staying in south west London but continues to be linked with a move to Liverpool.

Schwarzer believes Fulham’s startling progress guarantees that the 62-year-old will be courted by rival clubs but hopes he turns down any approach.

“Roy has been phenomenal,” said the 37-year-old Australia goalkeeper.

“Before I arrived at the club the masterstrokes had already begun by keeping Fulham in the Premier League.

“When he backs it up with some of the performances we’ve been able to achieve over the last two years, there are always going to be lots of big clubs who will be interested in his services.

“He was a major factor in me coming to Fulham and I’m sure it was the same for a number of other players.

“He’s done a fantastic job and I’m hoping he stays but who knows what will happen, anything’s possible?

“We’d all like him to stay and we’re all crossing our fingers that he will but only time will tell.”

Schwarzer was part of the Middlesbrough team that lost the 2006 UEFA Cup final and he prays Fulham avoid a similar fate in the aftermath of their defeat at the Hamburg Arena.

“Unfortunately, most of the Middlesbrough team broke up after we lost to Seville,” he said.

“It’s well documented what’s happened to Middlesbrough since then. Let’s hope that it doesn’t occur at Fulham.

“It would be a great shame if something like that was to happen.

“The guys really enjoy playing football at the club, it’s a great environment and the set-up is fantastic.

“But in football you never know. Things change and they can sometimes change overnight.”

Fulham will take some time to recover from their heart-breaking 2-1 extra-time defeat by Atletico Madrid but Schwarzer insists that once they do, they will be able to reflect on a magnificent season.

“We should take so many positives out of what we’ve achieved,” he said.

“It’s still difficult to comprehend because we have to live with the disappointment of losing a major final.

“But in a few days time I’m sure we’ll look at what an amazing accomplishment it was for this club to reach a Europa Cup final.

“The amount of teams we’ve played and the type of the teams we overcome yet we were still in the final.”