Fulham promotion hero Marcus Bettinelli has been forced to consider his future following the club's decision to sign two new foreign goalkeepers.
The former England Under 21 international looked set to start the season as Slavisa Jokanovic's No 1 after playing a key role for the Cottagers in their charge to the Premier League last season.
But the keeper appears to have been frozen out after his shock omission from the squad for the opening day clash against Crystal Palace.
Fulham fans expressed their bemusement at the treatment of Bettinelli on social media over the weekend given the keeper's contribution to last season's promotion.
Bettinelli conceded just 19 goals to play an instrumental part in Fulham's 23 game unbeaten run last season, culminating in their euphoric play-off win over Aston Villa.
Bettinelli spurned the opportunity to join West Ham and Palace over the summer believing he would start the season as Fulham's Premier League goalkeeper.
However, the summer captures of Sergio Rico and Fabri has pushed Bettinelli down to third choice.
Fabri started the opening day defeat to Crystal Palace on Saturday. Fulham lost 2-0; Palace's second goal raised questions over Fabri's decision making.
Rico is expected to eventually overtake Fabri as first-choice but Sportsmail understands the Spaniard's lack of English has posed an early problem for Jokanovic as he looks to embed the keeper, who arrived from Sevilla on deadline day, into his starting XI.
Jokanovic cited a training injury to explain his decision not to select Bettinelli on Saturday. However, Bettinelli tweeted on Saturday that he is not injured.
The Fulham manager's decision not to keep faith with Bettinelli has dashed the keeper's hopes of breaking into Gareth Southgate's plans this season - it also underlines the apparent preference from top-flight bosses to opt for experienced foreign goalkeepers rather than give homegrown custodians an opportunity.
Given the dearth of English goalkeepers playing in the Premier League, it is believed the 26-year-old had a realistic chance of breaking into the England set-up with Southgate earmarking Bettinelli as a serious contender for his upcoming squad selections.
But now Bettinelli may have to look at alternatives to continue his progression with a host of clubs waiting to swoop.
