Fulham forward Rodrigo Muniz has identified Manchester United defender Harry Maguire as his toughest opponent in the Premier League, admitting he 'hates' facing the centre-back.
Muniz joined Fulham from Flamengo in 2021 and is now in his fifth season with the club, having spent his second year on loan at Middlesbrough. During his time at Craven Cottage, the 25-year-old Brazilian has scored 29 goals and provided four assists in 128 appearances.
Injuries have disrupted Muniz's progress over the past two years, with a serious hamstring problem causing him to miss 15 matches last season. He has now put those setbacks behind him but faces stiff competition for minutes in Alvaro Arbeloa's attack, limiting him to substitute appearances in the Premier League so far this term.
Carabao Cup form
Muniz has impressed when given opportunities in the Carabao Cup, scoring in each of Fulham's victories over AFC Wimbledon and West Ham as the team reached the fourth round.
'This season is really important for me because I want to play, I need to play,' Muniz told Score 90's '24 Hours With a Pro Footballer' series. 'Last season was not good. I got injured and a lot of things happened last season. There are no excuses this season.'
Muniz helped Fulham secure immediate promotion back to the Premier League in the 2021/22 season, scoring five times as the club edged Bournemouth to the Championship title by two points.
Toughest opponent
'I think the Championship is more physical,' Muniz said when asked about the difference between England's top two divisions. 'The Premier League is still physical but with more quality, you don't have a lot of space to think. You need to think so quick and because of this I think the best players in the world are in the Premier League.'
Asked to name his toughest opponent in the top flight, Muniz replied: 'I think for me the worst to play is Maguire. Maguire is unbelievable. All the time, he is like this [pushing] with you and when we play it's a good fight because I'm strong and he's strong. But I hate to play against him.'
Winless Fulham have struggled at the start of the season under new head coach Arbeloa, sitting second-bottom in the table with just two points. However, they showed spirit in their recent match against Maguire's Manchester United, with Matheus Cunha scoring late to earn a point for the visitors. Muniz and his teammates will seek their first victory this weekend when they travel to Portman Road to face Ipswich.
