Roy Hodgson in bid to keep Erik Nevland at the Cottage

Fulham boss Roy Hodgson is to open talks with Erik Nevland in an attempt to prevent the Norwegian international returning to Viking of Stavanger, his first football club.

Striker Nevland came off the bench to score in the 1-0 win over Stoke City on Saturday that promoted Fulham to seventh place in the Premier League and on course for a place in next season's Europa League.

It was the 17th League game this term that 31-year-old Nevland had been used as a substitute, and as has happened so often in the past his introduction proved crucial to Fulham's performance.

Just nine minutes after replacing Bobby Zamora in the first half he started an inter-change of passes with Andy Johnson and then finished the move by side-footing Johnson's right-wing cross past goalkeeper Thomas Sorensen. Hodgson admitted he is a huge fan of the player who he brought to Craven Cottage last January.

He said: "Viking are desperate to get him back. But I'd like to keep him, of course, because he's done such a good job for us. It is something we'll have to discuss in the coming weeks.

"If he is happy to stay with us then we would be very happy to keep him."

Nevland, who spent two unproductive seasons at Manchester United, could make his first league start of the season at Chelsea on Saturday.

Hodgson hopes Zamora will be fit, but Johnson is a major doubt after sustaining a medial ligament injury that forced him to come off on the half hour.